This article is from page 27 of the 2008-06-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 27 JPG
ete tle lived with his elderly brother for half the year from 2002, before moving into the family home permanently. Mr Dempsey claims that the house, which is built on boggy land approxi- mately 20 feet from the road, was se- cure up until 2002 when the road was upgraded.
He said that the heavy traffic that used the road then caused the house to shake and the house to crack.
The Environmental Health Officer with the HSE and two engineering reports commissioned by Mr Demp- sey and his late brother point to a house in serious disrepair.
“While the dwelling is obviously unfit for human habitation at this stage. I would also have concerns for Mr Dempsey’s safety while he is occupying the house,” the environ- mental health officer said in a letter to Clare County Council in April PAU
The house is visibly subsiding with the walls coming apart at the corners and also separating from the ceiling by approximately 30mm.
‘In two areas of the house the prob- lems are so severe that there is dan- ger of collapse. It 1s doubtful if it is economically advisable to attempt to shore up or repair these dangerous areas,’ the letter said.
“IT would recommend that Mr Dempsey be provided with alterna- tive housing preferably in a location of his choosing but alternatively oth-
er options should be fully explored,” the Environmental Health Officer had advised a month earlier.
An engineering report commis- sioned by Mr Dempsey this year said that “vibrations can be felt underfoot with the passing of heavy traffic’ and ‘settlement appears to be related to the increase heavy traffic’.
“The end result is that the main body of the house is 375mm out of level. The flat roof extension to the rear 18 225mm out of level. With the settlement, various cracks have opened up throughout the structure and the roof has developed a hump- backed appearance. Walls have be- come off plumb by up to 125 mm. The floors have broken and become off level due to that upward pressure from the subsoil,’ it said.
Mr Dempsey said he has repeatedly asked the council to put a weight re- Striction on the road, but to no avail.
A spokesperson for Clare County Council confirmed that the local au- thority carried out dilapidation sur- veys on four houses on the stretch of road in question last week, before any work was to begin.
Consultant engineers on behalf of the local authority carried out an internal and external dilapidation survey in two of the four houses, and an external survey on the remaining two, including Mr Dempsey’s.
The council spokesperson said that Mr Dempsey refused access to his home when the council’s consultant engineers called to carry out the sur- vey, so they could only analyse the outside of the house.
An internal survey is necessary to examine the foundations and to get a full picture of a subsidence.
The council were also unable to put “tell tales” into the cracks, which measure any changes.
Mr Dempsey told