The company that manages properties at Academy Square in Navan is refusing to answer
questions put to them by Meath Live this week.
People , some with young children, were forced to vacate their apartments following an
outbreak of fire in early August.
Oriel Property Management in Dundalk is the management company which oversees the day to day
running of the apartments at Academy Square in Navan.In general these management compamys’
Above pictues taken on the Monday night of the fire at Academy Square.
Main pic; Smoke can be seen coming from the complex.
are responsible for the safe upkeep and maintenance of apartments with health and safety
being of utmost importance for the residents. On the night of the fire several residents who spoke
to us at Meath Live , informed us of issues that needed urgent attention.
In a very difficult situation Meath CoCo did as much as they could to find places given the severe
lack of alternative accommodation. Some of the landlords also facilitated tenants to the
best of their ability but others had to take whatever could be offered.
About 100 people were left homeless after fire damaged 34 apartments on the August
Bank holiday weekend.
Their plight was made all the more acute as only a handful of accommodation properties
were vacant and available in County Meath at the time.
The situation has not improved since.
The Gardai says they are treating the fire as ‘suspected criminal damage’.
It’s understood that a number of families were offered temporary accommodation beyond
Navan town while others were forced to sleep initially at Mullaghboy Industrial Estate.
Meath Live sought to get an update on the plight of those who had to vacate their apartments
from Oriel Property Management.
We asked them
1. How many families/individuals have had to be re-housed in alternative accommodation?
2. How soon do you think it will be before work on the damaged apartments will be
completed?
Despite written correspondence and verbal contact with the company, Oriel Property
Management has, at the time of writing, refused to answer our queries.
Above ; Cllr. Emer Toibín was has helped deal with the residents of Academy Square.
Navan Aontú Councillor Emer Toibín says the situation in Meath for dealing with homeless
people is awful.
“I attended the Meath CoCo meeting in the Newgrange [Hotel] following the fire.
“At the time, 34 apartments were destroyed. Some of the tenants were private occupants. 14
to 15 were registered with Meath CoCo.
“Two were sourced accommodation in Navan and the remainder outside the town.”
Meath Live has learned that a polish couple living in Navan for eight years are understood to
have become so angry and frustrated at the treatment they were subjected to over being re-
housed, they are now returning to Poland.
“This scenario is part of the problem we have in Meath,” said Emer Toibín.
“Homeless accommodation in Co. Meath needs to escalated by the Government.
“This event has shown us that there is no facility to provide accommodation when an
emergency like this happens.
“There has to be a recognition that the current available stock is not enough for a county of
our size. The Govt has to provide far better funding so that supply can match demand,” she
said.
It understood that it could be early 2024 when the all of the various investigations in to the
fire damage at Academy Square are completed.
