THE RESIDENTS OF Priory Hall are hopeful that Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan will meet them about their current housing crisis following a call from Dublin City Councillors.
However, the Department of the Environment told TheJournal.ie that despite the resolution requesting both the Taoiseach and Minister to meet with the displaced residents, Hogan’s stance on the matter had not changed.
The Minister cannot – as much as he may like to – meet with residents as there is a Supreme Court hearing due on 19 January and he cannot say or do anything that could prejudice the case.”
Previously, Hogan said he had to “respect the independence of the designated authority” of Dublin City Council and that he “cannot interfere in individual cases”.
However, TheJournal.ie has learned that super junior minister Jan O’Sullivan – who is also a member of Cabinet – is to meet the residents’ committee this evening.
To explain this apparent contradiction, a department spokesperson said she can attend a meeting as the areas of building control fall into Hogan’s jurisdiction and are not included in her housing and planning brief.
“It’s just rude”
In a statement, the residents committee said they remain hopeful about a meeting with Hogan and welcomed last night’s Fine Gael-backed resolution at the City Council meeting. The committee added:
It was never our intention to prejudice any legal proceedings but merely find a solution to our problems before we are forced to default on our mortgages.”
Labour councillor Brian McDowell also attended last night’s meeting and said the call to Hogan to accommodate a meeting with the residents was unanimous and cross-party.
It is disappointing that he is still refusing. The residents have not set any agenda – they just want to meet to tell him about their plight. Nobody is expecting miracles but they deserve to be listened to. More than anything, it is just rude (and wrong) not to.”
“We need to be proactive about this and seek a resolution as soon as possible,” he added.
Protest
The residents, who were evacuated from the substandard apartment complex in October, are due to hold another protest outside the Dáil tomorrow afternoon from 12.45pm.
Last week, Dublin City Council met with the residents and outlined various possible solutions to their situation. Although subsequently denied by the council, the residents and some councillors confirmed that there was a proposal suggested by the council that it could buy 100 apartments for €50,000 per unit.
The informal and unofficial suggestion was rejected by the owner-occupants of the Donaghmede complex as they all have mortgages of at least €250,000.
The 256 residents of Priory Hall were evacuated on 17 October after the council deemed the property unsafe because of fire hazard concerns.
The 19 January Supreme Court hearing centres on a dispute on who should pay for the residents’ temporary housing while they cannot return to their homes. Dublin City Council has so far covered the costs and has promised to continue to do so until 3 February.
However with a repairs bill of €7.3 million which the developer nor the residents can afford to pay, it is unclear when the residents will be able to move back in.
DCC is appealing a High Court decision giving it responsibility for housing the residents temporarily.
The displaced occupants fear that the council will win the appeal and are preparing themselves for a “worst case scenario”.
“It is not an overstatement to say that we all now face destitution,” resident Graham Usher told TheJournal.ie at the weekend.
The property’s developer Tom McFeely was sentenced to jail for three months and fined €1 million for failing to carry out the remedial works. The judge in the case later granted McFeely a reprieve against the sentence.
A spokesperson for the Taoiseach also told TheJournal.ie that it is unlikely that Enda Kenny will meet with the Priory Hall committee.
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