Longboat Quay owners have one month to start fire safety works

Residents of the Longboat Quay apartments in Dublin have been given one month by Dublin Fire Brigade to start fixing the fire safety defects in the complex.

The fire safety notice issued by chief fire officer Patrick Fleming states the 299-apartment complex is considered "a potentially dangerous building" and orders that work must begin by November 1st.

The remedial work includes the installation of “an adequate smoke ventilation system” for the lobbies and communal stairs, fire separation between apartments, upgrading of fire doors and the installation of fire stopping material in utility services.

This work had to be undertaken “as a matter of priority” but did not preclude further work being ordered, Mr Fleming said.

Failure to comply with the fire notice can result in evacuation of the building.

Offer rejected

Residents of the complex built by developer

Bernard McNamara

in 2006 have rejected an offer from

Dublin Docklands Development Authority

(DDDA) and Nama of €1.5 million-€1.75 million towards the cost of fixing fire defects in the complex as “wholly unacceptable” and insufficient to allow work to begin.

The DDDA said it had already invested more than €1 million in the installation of fire alarms and the contracting of fire wardens and that the total offer, including the money made available through Nama, amounted to €2.75 million.

This, it said, would leave residents with a bill of about €2 million.

The Longboat Quay Management Company, which is controlled by the residents, said the figures were inaccurate and only €750,000 had so far been offered.

Representatives of the management company are due to meet Lord Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní Dhálaigh on Monday afternoon ahead of a city council meeting on Monday night where the issue will be discussed.

Residents also hope to meet Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly on Tuesday.

Ratoath case

Meanwhile residents of Riverwalk Court in Ratoath expect to be served next week with a Fire Safety Notice by

Meath County Council

.

The complex of 16 duplexes and 10 apartments built in 2002 by Michael Ryan’s Saltan Properties, needs more than €1.5 million in fire-safety work.

Residents’ representatives yesterday met the council in an attempt to resolve issues with the complex and were told a statutory inspection would be undertaken by the local authority in the coming weeks.

Defects are similar to those in Longboat Quay, including lack of fire-stopping material between walls and structural failures in the “compartmentalisation” of common areas designed to prevent of fire.

Mark Fitzmaurice, an apartment owner and management company director, said they were told by the council that the "non-statutory process" was now at a end.

“The council said the issuing of the fire notice means moving into a statutory phase where work will need to be done by a certain date and they intend to carry out a formal statutory inspection,” he said.

Meath County Council has not responded to queries.

A legal representative for Saltan Properties said it had been refused access to the homes to investigate the allegations.