Residents in the dark over fire safety costs

Homeowners in a west Dublin apartment complex expressed frustration yesterday that, nearly two years after major fire safety defects were discovered, they have not been told how much they will have to pay to make their homes safe.

Defects were discovered throughout Verdemont, Blanchardstown, following a fire in May 2017, after which more than 100 residents had to move out of their homes.

The 274 homeowners in the apartment and duplex complex were told initially that the estimated cost for remedial work would be around €50,000 each.

Yesterday, a meeting of owners and residents was told that this had been revised, but there has been no information on actual costs.

The 2017 fire was the second to occur in the complex. In 2002, a young couple, Mick Farrell and Louise Wall, died in a fire in their apartment. The complex had been completed the previous year by McInerney Construction.

Following a Garda investigation, the local superintendent recommended a prosecution against the builder, but the DPP declined to prosecute.

The following year, the Dublin City coroner wrote to Final County Council expressing fire safety concerns that had emerged at the inquest into the deaths. No follow-up investigation was conducted on foot of those concerns.

Two sisters of Ms Wall were at yesterday’s meeting.

“Two people lost their lives, we don’t want anybody else to be lost,” Lisa Wall told the meeting.

“We lost two people dear to us and went everywhere to investigate what happened but doors were shut in our faces. Thank God there wasn’t a life lost the last time [in 2017] but something has to be done about it.”