Group says council may have to buy homes above tunnel

Dublin City Council could be forced to buy the homes of Marino residents because work on the Dublin Port Tunnel may have damaged the foundations of many houses, according to a local group of residents.

The claim follows an admission by the council that tunnelling has "adversely affected a small number of houses".

Following a report in The Irish Times on Thursday, the council issued a statement confirming tunnelling is currently taking place in very deep rock around Marino, resulting in noise and vibration in the homes above.

The council added that houses in the north Dublin suburb "are of very solid construction" and because of this are unlikely to be affected by tunnelling.

It added residents could expect floor tiles to crack while work is continuing. Project engineer Mr Tim Brick said: "We are pressing on as fast as we can to get the job finalised and to end the nuisance."

The council claimed cracks in some homes in the Marino area were already there before tunnelling began.

However, Mr Fintan Cassidy, secretary of the Marino Development Action Group, said he believes the speed at which digging is being carried out may be unsettling the earth directly beneath the houses and damaging foundations. He said cracks have now appeared in six houses in the area.

"We don't see that they have made any changes to how they are working that may stop the damage. The project is three or four months behind and they may be working too fast. If they slowed down the rate at which the cutting mechanism rotated, it may help things," Mr Cassidy said.

If foundations of houses have been unsettled it would make them "very difficult to sell" and the council may be forced to buy houses from residents.

Dublin City Council said it would have to determine the extent to which tunnelling had exacerbated existing cracking. Any damage deemed to have been caused by the tunnel would be repaired by the council.

If a dispute arose between the council and a householder, the issue would be referred to an independent conciliator.