NINE buildings in Limerick were listed as ‘dangerous’ at the end of last year when there were 58 derelict structures in the city centre, some in serious disrepair.
That’s according to the Journal.ie focusing on the problem of dangerous buildings in Limerick City and the issues associated with falling masonry and the risk of collapse.
Documents released to the online news site under Freedom of Information legislation by Limerick City and County Council include details from the register of dangerous structures as well as correspondence from their engineers regarding the action taken to make the structures safe.
The local authority identifies problem structures and issues orders for engineering studies to be carried out on them, and then use powers to compel the owner to carry out emergency remedial work.
The most dangerous building is on Lower Hartstonge Street in the city – identified in the documents as being an “immediate danger” by engineers.
A council engineering report last September stated that the upper structures of the building were “in an extremely dangerous condition”.
“Internal rafters bracing the structure have clearly failed and this has caused the upper portion of the external wall to bulge outwards. The stability of upper portion of the external wall is now extremely questionable,” the report warned.
“Horizontal movement of the upper part of the external wall has caused the roof parapet upstand to deviate inwards posing a risk to any occupants within the terraced structure.
“This property in its current condition represents a clear health and safety risk to users of the adjacent footpath and roadway,” the report concludes.
There are also problem buildings in other areas of the county, and the documents show that the council engaged with property owners to solve the issues rapidly in the city centre area.
Documents show that there were 17 dangerous buildings listed by the council in 2019 – all of which were marked ‘case closed’ by year’s end. In 2020, 14 dangerous buildings were listed, one of which was still not dealt with by the end of that year.
Last year, there were nine dangerous buildings listed, with four of those buildings still not having been dealt with at the end of December.
