A CLAIM has been made against the Housing Executive over the cost of repairs at a Belfast apartment block damaged by a loyalist bonfire.
Windows at the Victoria Place flats off Sandy Row were cracked and shattered as a result of heat from the July pyre.
Repairs arranged by the building's insurers have begun and are expected to be completed over the next fortnight.
In the aftermath of the bonfire, many residents had been left asking questions over who would foot the bill.
The bonfire was built on disused land owned by the Housing Executive (NIHE).
Last month it said the apartment block's management firm had been advised of its public liability claims process.
"We were informed the insurance company may at some point seek to be recompensed for the costs incurred," it had said.
Now the social housing body has confirmed a claim has been made in a bid to recover the costs.
In a statement, a spokesman said: "We can confirm that a public liability claim has now been received regarding Victoria Place."
If the claim is successful, NIHE will offer compensation for repairing the damage.
Maintenance for the apartment block is handled by Belfast-based property management agency MB Wilson & Co.
It is understood residents of Victoria Place each pay several hundreds of pounds a year for the service.
MB Wilson said a total of 22 apartments were affected by the bonfire damage, and that repairs were about one-third complete.
It said the repairs involved replacing window parts such as rubber gaskets and installing new double-glazing.
"We understand the glazing company hope to complete within the next 10 days or so. The repairs are being arranged by the building insurers," the firm said.
NIHE has previously said it will lead an inter-agency approach to manage its site and "mitigate against this issue occurring again".
The bonfire was also at the centre of controversy ahead of the Twelfth after The Irish News revealed that Belfast City Council had been storing pallets for the pyre at ratepayers' expense.
An in-house investigation has been launched to examine the decision to store pallets.
Bonfires in both nationalist and loyalist areas caused weeks of controversy over the summer.
In July, homes beside some loyalist bonfires were boarded up and doused with water by firefighters amid safety fears.
And last month, police in Belfast were attacked and cars torched by youths angered by council contractors removing bonfire materials in some nationalist areas.
