Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
REPAIR PLEA AFTER CRACKS REVEALED
Flat firm asks Victoria Square to share costs
REPRESENTATIVES of the evacuated Victoria Square flats block have asked owners of the adjoining retail centre about sharing repair costs.
With the bill for fixing the problem at the city centre complex estimated to reach up to £1million, a source said the proposal was rejected.
Photos have also emerged of the first signs of the damage when a steel reinforcement broke through the wall of a flat two-and-a-half months ago.
Last week residents in the Belfast complex were told to leave their homes for safety reasons.
At the time lawyers for the Victoria Square Residential Management Company Ltd said the decision was based on assessments of the building carried out after the structural issue was initially identified.
The images appear to show the steel reinforcement of a supporting column coming through the wall of a fourthfloor apartment back in February.
Repair work is expected to take around 20 weeks, with costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Apartment owners who are shareholders in the management company have been asked to make contributions towards that bill. Those costs may be recoverable if any legal liability for damage is established. No damage has been identified in the Victoria Square shopping centre, where business is continuing as normal.
But a source has revealed details of an approach made in February.
Representatives of the residents’ management firm proposed repair costs should be shared between it and the owners of the shopping centre in the event of other parties failing to cover the bill.
But in response to that suggestion it was stressed the failure had occurred within the residential unit.
The source said the cost-sharing proposal was turned down on that basis.
A statement issued on behalf of the retail unit added: “Victoria Square Shopping Centre does not own the apartment complex and the management company, Victoria Square (Chichester Street) Residential Management Limited, has responsibility for all repair and maintenance works in relation to Victoria Square Apartments.
“Victoria Square Shopping Centre will provide access as required to contractors undertaking work on behalf of the owners of the residential block, which we understand is due to commence shortly.”
YESTERDAY