Priory Hall home owners offered NAMA apartments

HOMEOWNERS evacuated from the Priory Hall apartment complex after it was deemed a fire hazard have been offered temporary accommodation in NAMA-held properties.

However, residents say the temporary nature of the arrangement brokered by Dublin City Council is too vague and want assurances they won’t have to move again if deadlines for remedial works at the complex are missed.

The High Court put a deadline of November 28 on the completion of fire safety works at Priory Hall and another deadline of January 31 for structural works to remedy flooding and other defects.

Residents offered NAMA properties were unsure which date applied to them.

Residents committee spokesman Niall O’Reilly was due to pick up a key to his allocated NAMA apartment at 8pm last night and would only then find out where he was moving to.

“With work and everything else, I won’t get to move in until Saturday and then three weeks later, have I to move out again because the lease is only until November 28?” he asked.

“We could be moving back and forth for months while different phases of work are carried out.”

Dublin City Council said they had the properties on “temporary convenience letting agreements” but would not define “temporary”. A spokesman said residents “would be able to commence” moving back home from November 28.

Stephen Quigley, another Priory Hall owner, said he was taking the January 31 deadline to apply but had little confidence the works would be finished by then.

“I’ve been allocated an apartment in Baldoyle, which is nearby, so I’m happy with that but it doesn’t solve the problem that nobody wants to go back to Priory Hall because nobody trusts the developer who made this mess to fix it.”

Mr O’Reilly said this view was held by almost all the residents.

More than 250 people were ordered out of the Priory Hall complex a fortnight ago after developer Tom McFeely was found to have failed to address a litany of fire safety concerns the council raised with him over two years ago.

Most of the residents have been put up in two hotels but the council yesterday said it had sourced 37 NAMA-owned properties and five voluntary housing association homes to house 42 owner-occupiers and their families.