Longboat Quay homeowners reject DDDA offer

Residents of the the Longboat Quay apartments in Dublin are facing the prospect of eviction after rejecting a joint offer from Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) and Nama of €1.75 million towards the cost of fixing fire defects in the complex.

In a statement last night the residents said the offer was “wholly unacceptable” and was insufficient to allow work to begin on the building.

The almost 900 residents of the 299-unit complex built by developer Bernard McNamara now face the prospect of evacuation on the orders of Dublin Fire Brigade. A new Fire Safety Notice was issued by the city's chief fire officer on Thursday night specifying remedial work which must be undertaken to avoid an evacuation order.

Defects include problems with fire-stopping material in utility services and partition walls. The problems are similar to those found in Priory Hall, the Dublin apartment complex evacuated in 2011. A Nama spokesman said it had already spent €10 million resolving fire issues in another McNamara-built development, but declined to say where it was.

Dr Martin McAleese, the husband of former president Mary McAleese, owns a property in Longboat Quay and has tendered his resignation as chairman of the Priory Hall Implementation Oversight Group. He said the parallels with Priory Hall had rendered this position “untenable”.

The DDDA and receiver Peter Coyne, acting with the approval of Nama, offered to pay €1.75 million in addition to €1 million already spent on the installation of the fire alarms and the contracting of fire wardens.

Offer rejected

The authority said its contribution and that of the receiver amounted to 58 per cent of the estimated €4.75 million cost of the work undertaken to date and required to meet “all relevant fire prevention and safety standards”.

“This will leave an estimated €2 million to be financed by the Management Company and the apartment owners.”

The residents, represented by the Longboat Quay Management Company, said they welcomed that an offer had been made, but said only €750,000 had been advanced, and came with unacceptable conditions.

“We believe it is wholly unacceptable. The terms and conditions attached to this offer are equally unacceptable, not least the demand to transfer responsibility for the common areas to the owner,” noted the statement.

“We are seeking legal advice and welcome the fact that the DDDA and Receiver are willing to enter negotiations.”

Residents had been told they needed to pay up to €18,000 each in order to fund the works. The latest offer would still leave residents with bills raging form €4,500 to more than €9,000 each.

The authority said what it had put on the table was a “formal final offer” of financial support towards the cost of the necessary remediation works.