A FAST-TRACK compensation scheme for homes and businesses damaged by drilling for Metro North is to be introduced, promising speedy settlement of claims under €30,000.
The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), whose case for Metro North opens before An Bord Pleanála on April 1st, said yesterday the compensation scheme would be “in addition to, and not instead of” the rights of property owners. According to the RPA some 87 per cent of cases for compensation arising out of the building of the Dublin Port Tunnel related to claims of less than €30,000, but many of those taking the cases had to hire their own surveyors and legal experts.
Tom Manning of the RPA said it now wants to set up a “type of small claims court” where cases can be decided quickly and easily. Mr Manning said the property owners’ participation was entirely voluntary and owners would not be required to sign away any rights to taking cases further for higher amounts, if they believed this was warranted.
In any event, the RPA is to survey all properties within 30 metres of the Metro line and 50 metres of the proposed stations, before construction gets under way. Property owners will then be offered the choice of opting into the scheme or not. If they do they may nominate one of three firms to carry out the survey and if they notice damage any time up to 12 months after construction ends, the surveyor will carry out another survey.
“There is no attempt to limit people’s claims and they will not be prevented from taking any course in connection with their property rights if they do decided to participate,” said Mr Manning.
He added that the RPA had been greatly encouraged by comments from the Green Party Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan in relation to the underlying importance of the Metro, even in a difficult economic situation.
