DISPLACED RESIDENTS of the Priory Hall apartment complex, forced to leave their Dublin homes in mid-October due to safety concerns, have expressed shock it could cost €7 million to bring their apartments up to standard.
In a statement yesterday, Dublin City Council said the cost of remediation on the complex could total €7.3 million or €39,000 per apartment.
However, the homeowners have said they are not in a position to meet the huge costs involved in rebuilding their homes.
“We have already paid for our homes once. We cannot afford to pay again for the failure of others,” a spokesman for the residents’ committee said.
He added that this was a clear indication of the extent of the failures of Government legislation and Dublin City Council’s inability to carry out its duties as a building control authority.
The 187-apartment complex was evacuated by High Court order on October 17th after it was found to pose a fire safety risk.
The council was ordered by president of the High Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns to cover the costs of accommodating the residents. However, the council, which has thus far spent €570,000 on accommodation and other services for the 256 residents forced to leave their Donaghmede homes, is appealing the decision. The case has been listed for mention in the Supreme Court on January 19th.
The council said it would continue to pay the residents’ accommodation expenses until February 3rd, 2012, at a cost of €135,000.
However, it said this would be reviewed on January 19th, when the date for the hearing of the appeal is fixed by the Supreme Court.