`Criminal company' aimed to keep prices low

The company described by Mr Justice Kelly as a "recidivist criminal" is easily the biggest apartment builder in the State. Since the early 1980s, Zoe Developments has built about 60 apartment schemes in Dublin, ranging in size from an early 60unit complex in Sandymount to the controversial 330-unit scheme at Bachelor's Walk.

Up to the closure of its site in Ringsend following the death of a young worker two weeks ago, Zoe was a successful construction company, albeit with a singularly bad record in site safety.

Low pricing has been the key to the company's success. Its developments have tended to be in unfashionable, often tax-designated areas such as the north inner city.

However, while the company has said it aims to provide affordable homes for first-time buyers, it is thought that more than half of Zoe's apartments have been bought as investments.

The company has also been notable for its ability to develop several sites simultaneously. It has complexes in construction at Charlotte Quay, where Mr James Masterson (24) died on November 3rd, as well as at Brunswick Street and at a site fronting Abbey Street and Capel Street in the city centre. The High Court was told yesterday it had 400 to 500 apartments under construction.

Zoe's largest development was the Bachelor's Walk scheme. It is also fairly typical of the larger schemes. More than 290 of the 330 apartments were single-bedroom, with only five three-bedroom flats in the entire complex. The extent of development by Zoe alone was a central factor behind the last government's moves to raise standards and improve the residential mix of apartment schemes.

Although Zoe has three directors, Mr Liam Carroll was identified in court as the controller of the company. Originally from Dundalk, Mr Carroll (47) now lives in Mount Merrion, Co Dublin. The other Zoe directors are his wife, Mrs Roisin Carroll, and Mr David Torpey, from Vernon Avenue, Clontarf.

Warning Mr Carroll he would close all Zoe's sites if the company did not comply with its obligations, Mr Justice Kelly said fines previously imposed by the lower courts "did not amount to so much as a fleabite to your profits and you were happy to pay them". He added: "You are entitled to make profits on the sweat of your workers, but you are not entitled to make profit on the blood and lives of your workers. You are a disgrace to the construction industry and ought to be ashamed of yourself".

SIPTU said yesterday's events in the High Court were "a good start and a good example", but added that it would like to see jail terms imposed on negligent builders.

Mr Eric Fleming, the union's construction branch secretary and also a member of the Health and Safety Authority, said he had warned at last month's SIPTU conference in Ennis that there would be more deaths on building sites.

"I'm fed up with health and safety experts and people in the industry telling us things are improving. They're not. If Zoe Developments were obliterated in the morning, there'd still be an awful lot of work to do. There are more rotten apples in the barrel than there are good ones."

The Health and Safety Authority welcomed the court's decision to put back the court order for a further week to ensure that the authority's safety plan is implemented.

In a statement last night, Zoe Developments said it had delivered on a commitment given when it closed its Ringsend Road site to attend to all the items listed on two prohibition notices served by the HSA.

"A comprehensive health and safety plan has been agreed between the company and the HSA . . . Zoe Developments Ltd is committed to addressing all health and safety matters, which apply not just to the site in question, but to all sites being developed by Zoe Developments."