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Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland
The Priory Hall apartment complex
# Priory Hall
Priory Hall developers told to hand over passports
The developers said they did not have the resources to cover the cost of alternative accommodation for residents of Priory Hall – who are being evacuated from their homes over grave fire safety concerns.
SOME RESIDENTS OF the Priory Hall apartments in north Dublin spent last night in a hotel, after being informed that they will have to evacuate their homes over grave fire safety concerns.
About 100 residents, many families with small children, were placed in the Regency Hotel in Dublin by Dublin City Council last night, RTÉ reports. Residents have been ordered to evacuate by Thursday at the latest.
Dublin City Council lawyers told the High Court that the breach of fire safety regulations at the apartment block was so serious that a fire could rage through the entire complex within minutes, according to the BBC. About 250 residents live in the block, which was constructed during the boom years.
The Irish Independent reports that fire officers never inspected the Priory Hall complex, built by Coalport Developments. The building has significant structural deficiencies.
The directors of Coalport Developments, Thomas McFeely and Lawrence O’Mahony, have been ordered to hand over their passports after saying they did not have the resources to cover the cost of alternative accommodation for the evacuated residents.
The court froze the assets of McFeely and O’Mahony last Friday.
Residents have been involved in discussions with David Hall of the advocacy group New Beginning, which offers legal services to people facing home and mortgage-related problems since the economic crash.
Read: In pictures: Families pack their belongings at Priory Hall>
