ANGRY Northside residents are urging Dublin City Council to allay their fears over safety issues at their flats complex.
Last week the city council moved to secure a stairwell at Block 8 Cromcastle Court, Coolock.
A resident in the block, one of eight at the location, first spotted the ‘dropped’ stairwell on June 22.
Mary Curtis Phelan, one of the residents living in the affected block, said she and her neighbours are deeply concerned for their safety.
“We are worried that the stairs will collapse,” Ms Curtis Phelan told Northside People.
“The city council started work on Friday (June 22) to secure the stairs. As well as the safety issues, there is also the disruption while the workers are here.
“I live on the floor below the top floor and the only way up to my home is by the stairwell.
“There are young children living here as well and it’s a major worry for their parents.
“If this is happening in our block, it could be like that in all the others and they need to be checked out urgently. We are really angry about this.”
Ms Curtin Phelan added that the residents are considering not staying in their flats overnight until the problem is resolved.
Cllr Larry O’Toole (SF) has called for a comprehensive inspection of all the stairwells in the entire complex.
“If the building is not found to be in a safe and secure condition, the residents must be offered suitable emergency accommodation,” said Cllr O’Toole.
John Lyons, a People Before Profit councillor for the Beaumont-Donaghmede Local Electoral Area (LEA), visited the complex to see the damage first-hand.
Cllr Lyons said the structural flaws in the building resulted in the stairwell cracking, moving and dropping a couple of millimetres, a “development that is causing huge anxiety amongst the residents currently forced to walk up a stairwell supported by temporary scaffolding”.
“It is very worrying to see the integrity of the building coming apart, the prospect of walking up a stairs propped up as it is by several pieces of steel scaffolding is not a very nice one and is causing a lot of worry among the many residents with whom I spent the day discussing the matter.”
A spokeswoman for Dublin City Council said it is onsite carrying out opening works to establish what repairs are required.
“An expert group has been put in place to complete the repairs and to carry out an inspection of all the stairwells in the blocks in Cromcastle Court,” she said.
“Once Dublin City Council was made aware that a staircase within Block 8 had moved slightly, it was immediately made safe by putting in temporary support structures and a security service was provided to ensure the safety of our residents at all times.
“A consulting Structural Engineer has also been engaged to assess and investigate the staircase and prepare a report setting out necessary works.”
The report was due at the end of the week but was not available to Northside People at the time of going to press.
The council said at this stage permanent works to ensure the stability of this staircase will then be carried out.
“As a precautionary measure, Dublin City Council will carry out a technical inspection of the staircases in the other blocks and works will carried out as deemed appropriate,” the spokesperson said.
“At this stage it is not considered necessary for residents to be moved out of their homes.
“The safety of our tenants and the buildings is of the upmost importance to Dublin City Council and we have taken all necessary steps to ensure the safety of the staircase at Block 8.”
