Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

On at least three occasions during Adjournment debates on the North Fringe development in Dublin north east, I have urged the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, to hold a wide-ranging inquiry into the planning and construction of this huge new urban district. In the earlier in-fill scandal, which affected at least 300 housing units in the Coast, Baldoyle, Clongriffin and Donaghmede, I urged the Minister to initiate a commission of inquiry and a Garda Síochána inquiry into the construction of those homes and the quarry which supplied the defective pyrite in-fill. Now another appalling planning and fire safety disaster is unfolding in another part of the North Fringe in Priory Hall, Hole in the Wall Road, Donaghmede, Dublin 13, and I renew that call tonight. The Minister has a grave duty to ensure the personal safety of all residents of Priory Hall. He must also hold Dublin City Council manager, John Tierney, and his predecessor, John Fitzgerald, to account for their unacceptable failure to implement the planning and building regulations in the North Fringe district.

Dublin City Council area management in Donaghmede recently informed 16 of its tenancy households at the Priory Hall complex that they will have to move out of their homes in the next week or so because of the serious danger of a major fire at the complex. The Priory Hall apartment complex includes 187 apartments in four and five storey blocks. Two of those blocks - Nos. 7 and 12 - are home to 16 Dublin City Council tenancies.

I have made many complaints to the Dublin City Council manager, John Tierney, and north central area manager, Celine Reilly, about serious flooding, infrastructural problems and anti-social behaviour at Priory Hall since the apartments were opened more than two and a half years ago. A number of city council tenants have asked to go on the Dublin city transfer list in that time.

In addition to the 16 city council tenancies, there are a further seven families living there on the city council's rental accommodation scheme and another seven families who have purchased Priory Hall apartments through the affordable housing scheme. I am informed that 20 apartments are vacant at present so this leaves 137 apartments which are occupied by private purchasers and private tenants.

Following several lengthy investigations of fire safety in the apartments at Priory Hall and nearby Clongriffin by the Dublin city fire chief, Mr. Hugh O'Neill, a fire safety notice under the Fire Safety Acts was served on the Coalport building company, which built Priory Hall, on 4 September last. The fire notice refers to the north and south blocks of Priory Hall as a "potentially dangerous building". It also orders a schedule of urgent fire safety remedial measures. These include a fire safety management system, the urgent inspection and maintenance of the emergency lighting, fire detection and alarm systems, electrical, gas and lift installations and fire door assemblies. It is an astonishing litany of failures in this most important area of apartment life. The provision of portable first aid fire fighting equipment is also requested and loose fitting stair carpets are to be removed along with all building debris in the basement and any other common areas.

This appalling saga raises many very serious questions for Dublin City Council manager, John Tierney, planning manager, Michael Stubbs, housing manager, Ciaran MacNamara, and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley. This is the fourth or fifth time I have raised the North Fringe in a debate.

Why did the Dublin City Council manager, John Tierney, allow 30 of our Dublin city families to be housed at Priory Hall in the first place when a final fire safety certificate had not been granted to the builder, Coalport, and when those families' lives were clearly in danger? What, if any, measures has he taken to rehouse the 137 privately purchased and rented households and has he contacted the Minister, Deputy Gormley, in regard to these families' plight? Why has the manager not rehoused all 167 families immediately for their protection and safety? The privately purchased apartment owners in Priory Hall are particularly vulnerable to negative equity and have had serious problems with the disgracefully inadequate operation of the management companies in the complex.

Following my proposal in 2005, a North Fringe forum was established by the former city manager, John Fitzgerald. I demand an immediate meeting of that body which is composed of residents, public representatives and all relevant stakeholders under the chairmanship of Clive Brownlee.

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