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- BreakingNews.ie
Peter McVerry Trust seeks injunctions against alleged trespassers in Dublin properties
The High Court has granted injunctions requiring that a number of people allegedly in illegal occupation of three buildings in Dublin owned by the Peter McVerry Trust Ltd vacate the properties. Mr Justice Brian Cregan granted the trust orders preventing trespass by "persons unknown" at an apartment in Cabra Road, Phibsborough, a multi-unit building on the North Circular Road, Grangegorman, and a three storey Georgian building on Drumcondra Road Lower. The order also applies to three individuals who gave their names when a security company was sent to find out what was going on at the buildings. Advertisement On Wednesday, the trust was granted an order allowing for service of proceedings at short notice on the defendants in the three cases. The application was made on a one side only represented basis by Barry Mansfield, instructed by Lavelle Partner solicitors. In an affidavit, trust director Tony O'Brien said all three properties are used to provide accommodation for people in need. Those occupying the buildings were in effect "jumping the queue" by doing so and should not be allowed to unilaterally usurp the trust's function in allocating housing by doing it themselves, he said. He was particularly conscious of the risk of fire and the implications for the trust's insurance. Ireland Government approves €15m emergency funding for Pet... Read More When the trust learned of the occupations last March, they sent a security firm to investigate. They identified three people in each of the buildings but others refused to engage, Mr O'Brien said. In the North Circular Road building, it appeared access was being gained by ladder at a window of the rear of the property. Advertisement As owner of the properties, the trust wants to obtain vacant possession, he said. Mr Mansfield, for the trust, told the court it had not been possible to establish how many people were in the buildings. Two of the identified individuals appear to be connected but not the third, he said. Mr Justice Cregan said service could be effected through notices, in plain English, accompanied by the court papers in a box. He said the case could come back next week.
Irish Examiner
19-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Department head 'unhappy' about housing charity leaving hotel it bought empty for three years
The head of the Department of Housing has acknowledged he is 'unhappy' with a situation which saw the Peter McVerry Trust purchase a Dublin hotel for €6.2m which has lain vacant for the past three years. Secretary general of the department, Graham Doyle, told the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday that the funding for the hotel had been part obtained via his department. He said it is 'working through' the options in terms of actioning the vacant building for social housing. The Georgian building in question, formerly Latchford's Hotel on Dublin's Baggot Street, was first purchased by the charity in 2022 after being placed for sale on the open market. The 20-bedroom hotel has remained vacant ever since in the aftermath of financial governance scandals which have shaken the Trust, one of the country's largest providers of homeless accommodation. Mr Doyle said the hotel had been funded by his department before the difficulties at the housing charity had emerged. He noted that the property had initially been purchased with a view to providing emergency accommodation. 'The understanding was planning was in place (for the hotel). Some planning issues arose in relation to it. I understand that the council and others are now working to look at how that property can be used for social housing at this point in time,' he said. Fianna Fáil's Paul McAuliffe said the vacancy of such a property, given the struggles of the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive to provide accommodation and that the department had funded the purchase, is 'questionable'. In response, Mr Doyle said he is 'unhappy with that'. He said, however, that the various recommendations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General on foot of the scandal – which suggested that oversight of grant funding to housing bodies be strengthened and that approval from the Department of Public Expenditure be obtained in each instance – have now been fully implemented. The Trust had caused opprobrium among the committee members in advance by declining to attend to give evidence. Mr Doyle, while declining to comment on that decision, did say that the 2023 accounts for the charity should have been published by now. The charity had said it may be in a position to give evidence at PAC once that publication has occurred. Read More
Irish Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Watchdog may compel Peter McVerry Trust to come before it amid growing anger over finances
The Dáil's most powerful public spending watchdog will consider compelling the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) to appear before it to answer questions about its €15 million State bailout . Sinn Féin TD John Brady, who is chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), expressed 'dissatisfaction and anger' towards the housing charity which has now twice refused to appear before the committee. Mr Brady said the PAC would now consider 'what options are open to us at this point', which could include compelling the trust to appear. At a meeting in public session on Thursday morning, a number of cross-party TDs expressed anger at the PMT for refusing to answer questions about its financial troubles. It came after serious governance failings by the trust came to light in investigations by two State regulators. READ MORE The trust has so far failed to file its company accounts for 2023. In early 2024, it told the PAC it could not appear before it due to ongoing investigations. In a letter to the PAC this week, the trust again refused to make itself available for public questioning, claiming it was not in a position to attend 'at this time'. 'There's a real level of dissatisfaction and anger here by members, and I include myself in that,' Mr Brady said. He added that he was also aware of attempts over the last year by the Oireachtas housing committee to invite PMVT to appear before it. Mr Brady said the trust had received 'huge' sums of public funding and 'there needs to be accountability'. 'I propose that we write immediately to PMVT imploring them to come in at the earliest opportunity,' Mr Brady said. He said PAC will be seeking guidance from the Oireachtas standing orders committee to see what options it had to expand its remit and bring PMVT before it. 'It is deeply unsatisfactory and disheartening, as members said, when an organisation such as PMVT does not actually take cognisance of the last word in that – trust,' he said. 'Public trust is foremost here and people cannot have trust in how public money is being spent and the governance around that. I think that is deeply concerning.' PMVT said in a statement: 'At this time, PMVT is not in a position to take part in the committee's meeting. We are currently awaiting the completion of our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31st, 2023. 'Once these audited accounts are available, they will be published and we will share relevant information with our stakeholders and the public as appropriate, including making representatives available for the appropriate Oireachtas committee in due course.'
Irish Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Dublin City Council pays €2m a year for vacant hostel
An investment fund promoted by barrister and debt adviser Ross Maguire is receiving rent of €2 million per year from Dublin City Council for a vacant hostel. Avalon House at Aungier Street, Dublin city, has been dormant since a legal wrangle six years ago when local objectors went to the High Court to block plans by the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) charity to provide homeless accommodation in the property. The dispute led Dublin City Council to take over the McVerry Trust lease in May 2021. The council pays €300,000 in annual insurance, security and utility costs in addition to the €2 million annual rent. Apart from a ground floor café, the property is vacant. Under the PMVT and council tenancies, the total rent bill was €10 million between 2020 and 2024. In the same period, the additional costs were about €1.5 million. READ MORE 'Avalon House is not usable without significant capital works, as PMVT had commenced strip-out prior to the lease transfer,' said the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), a division of the city council. A new planning process was set in motion in February 2023, but an application to develop a homeless family hub in the property has still not been submitted. Since 2022, the landlord is Irish Social Housing Fund 1, an investment vehicle promoted by Mr Maguire in partnership with international investors. 'It is not my fund and I have no ownership in the fund,' Mr Maguire said in reply to questions. A senior counsel, he came to prominence after the financial crash as a debt adviser to people in mortgage arrears and later moved into investment. The fund is listed among the partners of his advisory company New Beginning on its website. Avalon House, once a medical school, is a protected structure, meaning owners are required to prevent it from becoming endangered. The building was a hostel for backbackers before the PMVT set out plans to provide emergency accommodation for up to 155 rough sleepers. The trust had taken out a 20-year lease on the property in November 2019 with a company called Trittkopf, whose ultimate parent is BJM, a firm based in Cyprus. The city council took over the lease 'for the residue of the term' as part of the settlement of the court case. When Irish Social Housing Fund 1 acquired Avalon House in 2022, Mr Maguire was described as its 'authorised signatory' in a planning submission to the council. Mr Maguire suggested questions should be directed to the fund itself but a phone call to the fund was answered in his New Beginning office. The fund is authorised and supervised by the Central Bank. However, the bank said it 'does not have any regulatory role to make publicly available the prospectus or financial statements of the fund'. Responsibility for releasing financial information was with the alternative investment fund manager, the bank said. The fund manager, IQ-EQ, did not return phone calls or reply to questions emailed to a named company official in Dublin. The DRHE said it considered 'all options' for Avalon House, including exiting the lease or an alterative use for it. 'A family hub was considered to be the only viable use,' it said. 'The DRHE commenced the capital works application process, conditional approval was granted by the DHLGH in February 2023 and full Stage 1 approval given in June 2023, following compliance with the funding conditions,' it added. 'In late 2023, the DRHE tendered to procure an integrated design team. An integrated design team for the transformation of Avalon House into a family hub was appointed on April 5th, 2024, and we are currently preparing a planning application for a family hub.'
Irish Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Investment fund receiving €2m a year in rent from council for vacant hostel
An investment fund promoted by barrister and debt adviser Ross Maguire is receiving rent of €2 million per year from Dublin City Council for a vacant hostel. Avalon House at Aungier Street, Dublin city, has been dormant since a legal wrangle six years ago when local objectors went to the High Court to block plans by the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) charity to provide homeless accommodation in the property. The dispute led Dublin City Council to take over the McVerry Trust lease in May 2021. The council pays €300,000 in annual insurance, security and utility costs in addition to the €2 million annual rent. Apart from a ground floor café, the property is vacant. Under the PMVT and council tenancies, the total rent bill was €10 million between 2020 and 2024. In the same period, the additional costs were about €1.5 million. READ MORE 'Avalon House is not usable without significant capital works, as PMVT had commenced strip-out prior to the lease transfer,' said the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), a division of the city council. A new planning process was set in motion in February 2023, but an application to develop a homeless family hub in the property has still not been submitted. Since 2022, the landlord is Irish Social Housing Fund 1, an investment vehicle promoted by Mr Maguire in partnership with international investors. 'It is not my fund and I have no ownership in the fund,' Mr Maguire said in reply to questions. A senior counsel, he came to prominence after the financial crash as a debt adviser to people in mortgage arrears and later moved into investment. The fund is listed among the partners of his advisory company New Beginning on its website. Avalon House, once a medical school, is a protected structure, meaning owners are required to prevent it from becoming endangered. The building was a hostel for backbackers before the PMVT set out plans to provide emergency accommodation for up to 155 rough sleepers. The trust had taken out a 20-year lease on the property in November 2019 with a company called Trittkopf, whose ultimate parent is BJM, a firm based in Cyprus. The city council took over the lease 'for the residue of the term' as part of the settlement of the court case. When Irish Social Housing Fund 1 acquired Avalon House in 2022, Mr Maguire was described as its 'authorised signatory' in a planning submission to the council. Mr Maguire suggested questions should be directed to the fund itself but a phone call to the fund was answered in his New Beginning office. The fund is authorised and supervised by the Central Bank. However, the bank said it 'does not have any regulatory role to make publicly available the prospectus or financial statements of the fund'. Responsibility for releasing financial information was with the alternative investment fund manager, the bank said. The fund manager, IQ-EQ, did not return phone calls or reply to questions emailed to a named company official in Dublin. The DRHE said it considered 'all options' for Avalon House, including exiting the lease or an alterative use for it. 'A family hub was considered to be the only viable use,' it said. 'The DRHE commenced the capital works application process, conditional approval was granted by the DHLGH in February 2023 and full Stage 1 approval given in June 2023, following compliance with the funding conditions,' it added. 'In late 2023, the DRHE tendered to procure an integrated design team. An integrated design team for the transformation of Avalon House into a family hub was appointed on April 5th, 2024, and we are currently preparing a planning application for a family hub.'
