A couple who breached planning laws in the building of a €3 million home in Howth, Co Dublin,have spent another €200,000 in demolishing and rebuilding part of it to avoid going to jail.
Judge Jacqueline Linnane had been told that interior and property designers Tom and Antoinette Darcy had kept adding on bits to the building for which they did not have planning permission.
Damian Keaney, counsel for Fingal County Council, said the Darcys had shown contempt for court orders after design features at Woodview, Grey's Lane, Howth, had been curbed by a judge.
The local authority finally asked for an order committing the Darcys to prison and directing them to pay a heavy financial penalty for breaching planning permissions. Judge Linnane gave them a final chance: demolish part of two glass-atrium-style additions to the front and back or be locked up.
Yesterday Mr Keaney told the court the Darcys had finally brought their illegal embellishments into line with agreed planning permissions.
The unlawfully built glass atriums had been hugely reduced in size both at the front and the back and filled in with roof slates and plastered-over cement blocks.
Judge Linnane, on the application of Mr Keaney, struck out the motion to commit the Darcys to prison and awarded the full legal costs of the local authority against them.
She also ordered them to pay the county council additional administration costs of just under €5,000.