Independent inspection is essential - Flawed building regulations

AT A moment of crisis, it may be tempting to bend the rules, to take a short cut to quickly resolve a pressing problem — or take advantage of a buoyant, almost insatiable market.

This philosophy may seem a particularly attractive option in a culture where light-touch regulation seems no more than code for hardly any regulation or meaningful supervision at all. Even though this strategy usually means repenting at leisure — especially for consumers — there are plenty of examples of its shortcomings all around the country.

The construction sector is responsible for more than its share of these aberrations. The notorious Priory Hall in Dublin, where residents had to leave their homes because of substandard work and consequent fire hazards, may be the most notorious example but every county, if not every town and village, has its own tottering monuments to light-touch regulation. Some were even built on flood plains.