Radharc An Seascan, Meenmore, Dungloe, County Donegal, Ireland. 19th October, 2012. An entitre housing estate - dubbed the 'Titantic site' - which is sinking into the bog on which it was built in 2007 should be demolished according to property owners who have sued the builders and the engineers/architects. The case continues at the High Court in Dublin. Photo by: Richard Wayman/Alamy Live News
AN entire housing estate -- dubbed the 'Titanic site' -- which suffers from subsidence because it was built on a bog, should be levelled, according to most of the property owners. Radharc An Seascan is a 15-house estate at Meenmore, overlooking scenic Dungloe Bay, in Co Donegal. It was largely completed in 2007-08 and sold mostly to people from Northern Ireland who bought the properties as holiday homes and investments. But the High Court has heard that it is being referred to locally as the "Titanic site" because within a year of completion, the entire estate suffered serious subsidence. The owners said the subsidence caused water pipes to break, damaged central heating and sewage systems, caused steps and ramps to detach from walls and tarmac to sink. Today, the houses have become an attraction for anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping, the owners said. They have also been subjected to vandalism and theft with the heating boilers from most of the houses stolen in October 2011. Holes of up to one metre wide have appeared on site, posing a serious danger, particularly for children, the owners added. The owners sued the builders, O'Kane Developments (Northwest) Ltd, and the engineers/architects, Damien McKay Ltd, of Drumany, Letterkenny -- which is now in voluntary liquidation. The insurance company for the Donegal-based engineers/ architects employed on the project has accepted liability. The case is before the court for assessment of damages The judge heard Aviva Insurance has a sum of €2m available under the policy taken out by the architects, although this may not be enough to cover all the claims. This aspect of the case may have to be dealt with at another hearing. Most of the owners, who paid between €155,000 and €190,000 for the houses, told the court they believed all the houses should be knocked because they could not be viably repaired.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Radharc An Seascan, Meenmore, Dungloe, County Donegal, Ireland
Photo credit: © Richard Wayman / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bubble, building, celtic, economy, eu, euro, eurozone, home, homes, housing, irish, property, recession, regulations, subsidence, symbol, symbolic, tiger
