Residents of Longboat Quay reject €2.75m offer as ‘wholly unacceptable’

Residents of Longboat Quay have rejected as “wholly unacceptable” an offer from the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) to contribute towards the cost of remedial works in their building.

The latest move ramps up pressure for an agreement to prevent the evacuation of over 600 residents as Dublin Fire Brigade yesterday issued a fire service notice, which will require the work to be completed by a specific date to prevent evacuation.

The DDDA, in conjunction with the receiver for the company which built the development, has offered €2.75m which it says represents more than half the full costs. Residents have responding by pointing out that the offer includes monies already spent on an earlier phase of works and a loan. There is also a dispute over the full cost of what has to be done to make the building safe.

“While the fact that an offer has been made is welcome we believe it is wholly unacceptable,” a statement from the management company said. “The terms and conditions attached to this offer are equally unacceptable, not least the demand to transfer responsibility for the common areas to the owners.

“Given these realities, we remain unable at this point to award a contract to rectify the defects and therefore avoid enforcement action by Dublin Fire Brigade.” Currently, the DDDA is the nominal landlord for the common areas. Any transfer of ownership would relieve the authority of responsibility for any further works, despite the fact that a number of other problems have already been identified.

The offer of €2.75m includes around €1m already spent by the authority in upgrading fire alarms, and a loan of €250,000 spent in professional fees. On Tuesday, residents were told the total costs of the work will come to €5.3m, but the authority claimed yesterday that the sum is €4.75m.

The offer means that residents will still be expected to come up with over half of the costs for the works. If an agreement can’t be reached to provide the funds to award a contract for the works, the fire safety notice will move onto application to have the building evacuated. A number of residents have already stated that they don’t have the money required.

Bernard McNamara

Yesterday it also emerged that Nama has spent “millions of euro” in remedial fire safety work at another development built by Bernard McNamara, who was responsible for Longboat Quay. The Public Accounts Committee heard from Nama chief executive Brendan McDonagh that this building had received a fire certificate earlier this year, but he refused to identify it.

He also told that committee that Nama hadset aside €100m for remedial fire safety work in properties which it had acquired.