UP TO 300 houses and apartments in a north Dublin housing estate are in need of extensive repair work due to fire safety problems with the structure of the buildings.
The homes in Belmayne are near Priory Hall, the 187-apartment complex which was evacuated four months ago due to fire safety problems.
Some of the affected residents were rehoused in Belmayne by Dublin City Council.
An inspection by the Dublin Fire Brigade’s chief fire officer has revealed defects in the timber- framed construction of the houses which meant the buildings cannot meet fire safety regulations.
The problems involve the fire-stopping features of the construction. A small gap where there should be a layer of plasterboard was left in the wall in the space above some of the apartment ceilings, which would allow smoke and fire to travel laterally in the building in the event of a fire. It is understood that the developer Stanley Holdings was alerted to the problems with the building after a pipe burst in an unoccupied home. Extensive damage was caused and when parts of the ceiling were removed the absence of the plasterboard layer was discovered. Subsequent investigations of other properties indicated that the problem was widespread and the fire brigade was immediately contacted.
The fire-safety problems are believed to affect more than one-quarter of the almost 1,000 houses in the estate.
Unlike Priory Hall it is expected that the work can be done without requiring the evacuation of residents as Stanley Holdings is co-operating with the process.
The developer has undertaken to carry out remedial works to all of the properties affected and is preparing a schedule of works to be submitted to Dublin City Council. Letters were yesterday sent to all affected residents. The chief fire officer has said that the deficiencies do not pose an immediate threat and that residents did not have to be evacuated, but he determined that the defects must be fixed without delay.
A spokesman for the developers said work to most apartments was unlikely to take more than a week.Residents might have to leave their homes for up to three or four days if their property is identified as requiring repair. All work is expected to be completed within three months.
Cost of the remedial work is not yet known but it is not envisaged that householders will have to bear any part of this cost.
The city council said the developer had acted responsibly and the fire officer was satisfied that when these remedial works are completed the defect will have been addressed.
Residents from Priory Hall were rehoused in some 80 units in Belmayne after they were evacuated from their unsafe homes last year.
