Fire chief orders evacuation of apartment complex

Residents of a Navan apartment block are being forced to evacuate their homes within three weeks of Christmas amid fears over fire safety in the building.
The entire top storey of 10 to 11 apartments in the two-storey Kentswood Court complex at Johnstown will have to be cleared by this weekend on the orders of the Meath Fire Officer.
The Meath Chronicle has learned that the building, which was constructed in 2005/2006, has never held a fire certificate.
Residents were shocked in the past 10 days when they were notified by a local rental company about “fire safety concerns” and that they would have to evacuate their homes by this coming Sunday, 1st December. The firm, Royal Rentals, told each tenant that this was “a strict deadline imposed by the fire officer and the landlord has no control over this timetable”.
It advised tenants that it would liaise with them to ensure the evacuation was complete by the deadline and to assist them with any practical arrangements, such as arranging alternative accommodation, and assisting with transportation or storage.
Approximately 10 tenants on the ground floor of the building are being allowed to stay in their apartments because the fire officer considers them safe.
The complex was built by Vicarage Green Ltd, which is now in receivership. The company had applied to Meath County Council for a fire certificate in 2006. It was asked for further information and when this was not forthcoming, the certificate never issued. The apartments were unoccupied for quite some time after construction.
Receivers Grant Thornton, on behalf of the property owners, Bank of Ireland, approached the county council stating its intention to regularise the certification of fire safety. The fire authority recommended that a LD1 detection and alarm system should be installed, that the windows be adjusted to comply with escape windows and that the doors to the kitchen/dining room in each apartment be fitted with a fire-rated self-closing device.

Sinn Fein Navan councillor Joe Reilly welcomed the decision to evacuate and commended the receiver for contacting the fire authorities in order to regularise the situation. He also praised the rental company for their efforts in trying to find alternative accommodation for the tenants affected.