€750,000 bill to clean up after bust developer

Galway City Council is facing a bill of at least €750,000 to bring two estates in Doughiska up to standard, after they were abandoned by their developer.

However, the cost is set to soar when the extent of problems within the underground sewerage network are uncovered.

The existing estimate relates to street lighting, unfinished road surfaces, footpaths, fencing, walls and a playground which was never built by Harrmack Developments at Fionnuisce and Fearann Rí. The company has since gone into liquidation.

However, an underground CCTV survey has been taken to determine issues with cross-connections in piping – it’s already known there are problems with foul sewage entering storm water sewers and vice versa. This will increase costs even further.

The estimates for the work in Fionnuisce phases one and two and in Fearann Rí total €739,000, and there are insurance bonds in place from the developer which should cover €367,000 of this, leaving a shortfall of €372,000.

It should be borne in mind that in July, the Council wrote off a debt from Harrmack of €470,000 because of a typographical error made in conditions attached to planning permission in Doughiska.

Councillor Frank Fahy said he was “gobsmacked” by the bill for the works on the estates.

“The €750,000 doesn’t include any of the work that will have to be done to the underground system, which will be very costly and will probably involve work to private property. How was this ever allowed to happen? Somebody has got away with murder here,” said Cllr Fahy.

Director of Services for Infrastructure, Ciarán Hayes, said the Council has to assess what work needs to be done if the local authority is to take the estates in charge.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.