A barrister and his wife were forced out of their Co Dublin home because of threats made against them by persons using a nearby laneway at night for drinking, fighting and other activities, it was claimed at the High Court yesterday.
Mr John Henry Connolly and his wife Pauline, of Four Winds, Strand Road, Portmarnock, were given permission to seek a court order, by way of judicial review, directing Fingal County Council to make a decision to close the laneway permanently.
Mr Justice Lavan also ordered that the council should, in the meantime, temporarily close the lane.
Mr Colm Allen SC, for the Connollys, said the grim situation was that his clients had had to move out of their family home because the laneway nearby at Strand Road/Black berry Rise was routinely being occupied by various individuals at night who consorted for the purposes of drinking and fighting.
In an affidavit, Mrs Pauline Connolly said the use of the laneway had since 1990 given rise to an increased nuisance. Eggs had been thrown at their home, members of her family were abused and physical damage was inflicted on their property.