A village has gone to war to stop a refugee camp for 2,300 Ukrainians being built on its doorstep.
The people of don’t want 569 modular houses on a 15-acre site beside their train station to go ahead.
An application for the development was lodged with Meath planners by two private companies over a week ago.
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They are seeking temporary permission over five years to build the two-bedroom houses.
But Laytown residents fear the developers will seek permanent planning permission when the five years is up.
They are worried they would have a ghetto on the edge of their beautiful seaside village renowned worldwide for its annual race meeting on the beach .
The opposition to the project is being led by local Drogheda Labour TD Ged Nash on the basis it is not a government planned project.
He stated: "The state agency responsible for accommodating refugees from Ukraine is not involved with the proposal submitted to Meath County Council.
“The site is zoned for industry so councillors will have to vote on a change of use for houses.
“If plans are being proposed to provide accommodation for Ukrainian refugees the developers would be best advised to work in partnership with the International Protection Accommodation Service and the Department of Children on any proposals they want considered.”
Laytown councillor Stephen McKee is also against the refugee plan.
He said: "When it comes to deciding how many refugees we should accommodate the Government needs to base its decision on the needs of the local areas and their capacity to accommodate those seeking assistance.
“Our area desperately needs additional community infrastructure. There is already a shortage of school places and we don’t have a full time local Garda station in Laytown.
“How can the area realistically accommodate residents from a 569 home development?”
There are over 300 Ukrainian people currently living in the East Meath area since last March.
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