– Allegations suggest that former OMC adopted official stance of ignorance of fire safety defects
Labour Party local election candidate for the Donaghmede electoral area, Shane Folan, has expressed his shock at allegations made against the former owners’ management company (OMC) of a Celtic Tiger-era Belmayne housing estate.
Folan said,
“The revelations reported by the Ditch today are shocking. They allege that a former director of the Belmayne estate’s OMC told its property management company ‘sit on’ a report that identified serious fire safety related defects, and that there was a failure to hire an independent fire safety consultant to investigate potential defects. Dangerous defects in hundreds of houses in the estate were subsequently found, including fire defects and substandard balcony fittings.
“Former and current residents of Belmayne tell me that several defects remain, leaving them fearful and frustrated. The least they deserve is a transparent, independent fire safety inspection, free from interference or oversight by those who have something to gain from covering up defects. These people live at real risk of fire in their home. They need this government to provide them with security and peace of mind.
“In the midst of this unprecedented cost of living crisis, households in defectively built homes have an additional fear of debt due to the cost of fixing the defects; they also fear increased insurance costs, and due to the ongoing cost liability, many are simply unable to sell their homes, even where their families have outgrown them. They need supports from government and the long-overdue redress scheme needs to be as generous as possible. No one should live in an unsafe home because of the bad practices of dodgy developers. And those who are responsible for putting people in danger in their homes – somewhere where everyone should feel secure – must be held to account.”