Residents of apartment complex consider legal class action

RESIDENTS of an apartment complex who could be asked to vacate their homes because of safety concerns are considering launching a legal class action, it emerged yesterday.

The move comes as it was also revealed that the insurance covering common areas at the Priory Hall development in the Dublin northside suburb of Donaghmede expired yesterday.

A meeting was held last night by the residents’ association of the Priory Hall complex at which certain issues were to be clarified, including that developer Coalport Builders are still trading and that anyone with any issues should first seek recourse from them.

The meeting was also held to gauge the level of support for a class action, although one resident who did not wish to be named said legal advice would be needed to define who the defendant would be in any such action.

Last month Dublin City Council informed each home owner in Priory Hall to carry out safety checks on their electrical and gas supply installations.

This week the city ~council told residents in nearly 200 privately-owned apartments that they may have to vacate their properties and go on the housing list and that court action over the safety status of the buildings was “imminent”.

One resident, Mark Byrne, said those living in the complex were unsure whether they might come home from work “to see chains across the gates”.

Mr Byrne, who is an owner-occupier of his apartment, said he still has to pay his mortgage, yet the property could be condemned and he would not qualify for social housing.

“What we are afraid of is, if they are condemned, I would owe €275,000 on something that does not have any value,” he said.

“We are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The banks don’t want to know.”

Mr Byrne also said the local authority was “trying to wash its hands of the situation” even though it had received levies on the properties and adequate inspections had not been carried out prior to people moving into the buildings.

Director of Coalport Ltd, Tom McFeely and his former business partner, received fines and suspended prison sentences at Dublin District Court last April for fire safety defects in the complex.

Mr Byrne said Dublin City Council should rehouse all residents in the short term and repair the properties so people can move back in, although he said that could prove “very expensive”.

A meeting between the local authority and residents took place on Wednesday, ahead of last night’s meeting of the residents’ association.

Labour TD Sean Kenny said it was very distressing for the people involved. He said Dublin City Council was going to the High Court for a fire certificate and said that, if a solution could be found for that certificate, other issues in the development could be addressed.