AN ORDER preventing 200 travellers from camping on land adjoining Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, was granted by the High Court yesterday.
The 43 acres which front Beaumont Road are owned by property developers who are concerned the travellers' occupation might jeopardise their development plans.
Mr Roddy Horan, for the land owners said the travellers entered the land on Saturday, July 5th. There were now 70 caravans and an equal number of vehicles used to tow them. Locals and hospital staff had complained to his clients about the encampment.
Mr Horan said the travellers had neither water nor sewerage facilities and there were fears for public health and safety.
One of the owners of the land, Mr Joseph O'Reilly, of Knoc Ard, Kerrymount Avenue, Foxrock, Dublin, said the travellers appeared to be highly mobile in that numerous Irish counties were represented in the vehicle registrations. There were also vehicles with English registrations.
Most of the motor vans and jeeps appeared to be in excellent condition and almost new. Clothes lines had also been erected in the field and there was a constant noise from portable generators used for electricity.
Mr O'Reilly said he and the co owners of the property were in the process of lodging a planning application with the planning authority for a housing development. They now feared the situation might militate against them because it might be seen as an attempt to apply pressure on the authority to grant permission.
He now believed the defendants had no intention of vacating the property, particularly as the numbers of caravans had steadily increased recently.
Mr Justice McCracken agreed to grant an order restraining the travellers from entering or remaining on the land pending a full hearing of the action.