FORMER president Mary McAleese and her family spent almost €1.2 million on two apartments in a Dublin docklands complex where hundreds of residents now face evacuation over fire safety concerns.
Mrs McAleese and her husband Martin purchased two three-bedroom properties in the 298-unit Longboat Quay complex in 2006 at the height of the Celtic Tiger boom.
The properties, which were built by developer Bernard McNamara, were listed in Mr McAleese’s declaration of interests in 2011 when he was a member of Seanad Éireann and it is believed they remain in the family’s ownership.
The development has drawn comparisons with Priory Hall in north Dublin, which was built by former IRA hunger striker Thomas McFeely but evacuated in 2011 after being deemed a firetrap.
Mr McAleese last night resigned as independent chair of a group tasked with overseeing a deal reached with Priory Hall residents.
"As owner of a property at Longboat Quay which is currently facing issues in relation to fire safety, I feel that the parallels with Priory Hall render my position as independent chair of the Priory Hall Implementation Oversight Group untenable," he said.
"I have tendered my resignation to the Office of the Taoiseach with immediate effect.
"I wish the group the very best as it proceeds towards full implementation of the resolution framework that we have worked hard to develop over the last two years."
Around 900 residents at Longboat Quay have been told the building needs to have €4 million worth of fire safety problems resolved if they are to continue living in their homes.
Owners and residents yesterday demanded a meeting with the Republic’s environment minister Alan Kelly and the Lord Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní Dhálaigh to seek a resolution to what they described as a “nightmare scenario”.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority issued a statement yesterday afternoon confirming it would provide the finance necessary to carry out remedial work.
It said together with the receiver, it will pay €2.75 million of the cost.
This includes around €1 million already spent on the fire safety alarm system.
However, residents still face having to pay €2 million towards repairs.
The Longboat Quay Owners' and Residents' group said last night the financial offer was "wholly unacceptable".
