Council warned of 'life and limb' dangers of Liffey View House

The owner of Liffey View House, which was demolished over the weekend, had previously informed Kildare County Council that there was a 'danger to life and limb' over the structural state of the building, writes Brian Byrne. The hazard related both to his family residing in the adjoining Liffey Bank House and to 'trespassing local youths'.

On 4 March of this year, Professor Mark Dyer contacted Kildare County Council's Planning Department with an urgent request for permission to demolish 'the remaining part' of Liffey View House. He stated that the building had partially collapsed and become structurally unstable.

Prof Dyer, who is a chartered civil engineer and former McNamara Chair in Construction at Trinity College Dublin, cited health and safety hazards posed to his family residing in the adjoining Liffey Bank House. Ongoing ‘trespassing by local youths' was also a concern, and Prof Dyer told the council he had alerted the Garda about the danger to those youths. 

The council responded on 5 March saying that planning permission would be required for demolition. The planners also noted that the building was listed on the Record of Protected Structures in the County Development Plan. Prof Dyer expressed his surprise at the council's response and asked again that matters be ‘expedited’ so he could urgently organise demolition and 'avoid danger to life and limb'.

In their further response, the council referred to 'some confusion' over which of two buildings was protected and said they had referred the matter to the Heritage Department for investigation. 

Prof Dyer was also told that he could apply to the planning authority to declare the property a Section 5 Exempted Development. This category under the 2001 Planning and Development Regulations normally applies to developments of a minor nature, such as small extensions to houses, garden walls, and so on. However, if the property is in an Architectural Conservation Area, Special Amenity Area Order, or is a protected structure/listed building, such exemptions do not apply.

The building was demolished on Saturday.

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