Redress needed for ' tsunami' of Derry defective homes councillors told

The plight of Derry families with holiday homes in Inishowen crumbling due to defective concrete blocks and products has been raised with members of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

A delegation from the 100% Redress Party made a presentation on the impact defective concrete blocks and products were having in Derry and Tyrone, and Donegal to councillors at a workshop in the Guildhall on Friday afternoon. 

The group comprised Deputy Charles Ward TD, and Donegal county councillors Denis McGee, Sean Devine, Ali Farren and Joy Beard. 

The 100% Redress Party was formed in advance of the June 2024 Local Government Elections in the Republic of Ireland to “secure a genuine 100% redress scheme for all those affected by defective concrete products”.

The party’s emphasis on holiday home owners arose from the exclusion of such properties from successive Irish Government redress schemes - 90/10 Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme (2020) and Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme (2022).

Speaking to The Derry News following the workshop, Charles Ward TD said he had underlined the urgency of the situation to the Derry and Strabane councillors.

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He added: “I told them they needed to be prepared because if they are not, there will be a tsunami of defective concrete consequences landing on their doorstep. 

“It is vital to be proactive, in terms of Stormont and Westminster, not reactive because if one house in a development is affected by defective concrete, every house in that development is rendered worthless,” said Deputy Ward.

Cllr Ali Farren said his party had asked to make the presentation to highlight the need for Derry City and Strabane District Council to be proactive in getting a redress scheme introduced for homeowners in the North impacted by defective concrete. 

“We know we have an issue in Donegal and we know there is an issue in Derry, Tyrone and wider Northern Ireland because we are hearing from lots of homeowners here whose properties are affected by defective concrete blocks and products,” he added.

“We urged Derry and Strabane Council to get ready and be ready, to lobby Stormont and Westminster to establish a redress scheme for them and also to put pressure on the Irish Government to deliver a better redress scheme for the likes of the holiday homes.

“We felt the councillors were engaged and listening. They all know people in the North whose homes are affected by defective concrete blocks and products, even some members of Council staff are living in defective houses.

“Really we wanted to pass on our learning around the issue to the Derry and Strabane councillors. We have been campaigning for a decent redress scheme for the past 14 years. Sooner or later a redress scheme will have to be rolled out in Derry and Tyrone and beyond but it is the councillors we spoke to today who are going to have to look for it.

“It is imperative people in this neck of the woods are politically driving the need for a redress scheme here,” said Cllr Farren.

In January 2023, Derry City and Strabane District Council introduced a data collection exercise to quantify the number of residents in the Council area whose properties were affected by defective concrete.

At that time Council also wrote to the North’s Department for Communities regarding compensation and engagement with the Irish Government on the issue. 

According to Cllr Farren, there was “very little feedback” from Derry City and Strabane District Council’s data collection exercise.

“But remember this,” said Cllr Farren, “if somebody living in a housing estate acknowledges they have a defective house, every house in that estate becomes worthless, so there are a lot of people reluctant to acknowledge they have a defective home. 

“Also, there is no point in them admitting this because there is no redress scheme available for them. 

“Regarding today’s workshop, I got the distinct impression defective concrete is an issue on which Derry and Strabane councillors are completely up to speed and we want them to pursue the need for a redress scheme,” said Cllr Farren.

Cllr Farren said he also hoped those drawing up any future redress scheme in the North would learn from the mistakes made in the Republic of Ireland.

“This means it would include the replacement of foundations and it would test for Sulphur Attack and not mica - which has been scientifically proved not to be the cause of defective concrete blocks and products,” said Cllr Farren.

“Any redress scheme here also needs to be 100% redress. In Northern Ireland we would like it to be more government led because, at the moment in Inishowen, every homeowner has to become their own builder and developer.”