Longboat Quay: Public money to fund repairs at firetrap apartments

Public money is to be the main source of funding for the repair and upgrade work to be undertaken on the privately owned Longboat Quay apartment blocks, which were found to be a firetrap last year.

The Irish Examiner understands that the Dublin Docklands Development Authority has forwarded money to the management company at Longboat Quay to conduct an extensive survey and costing of repair work, which is expected to run into millions. The upgrade of the fire alarm system has already cost over €750,000, nearly all of which was financed by the public body.

The Irish Examiner last month reported on the structural deficiencies in the building. It was constructed in 2006 by the developer Bernard McNamara, whose company has since gone into receivership. Apart from a dangerously inadequate alarm system, the building is understood to be highly deficient in the areas of fire walls and smoke vents, both of which are vital components of fire safety. The full extent of the deficiencies will only be known after the survey is completed.