New DCB testing approach could save State €50M, council told - Donegal Daily

A Donegal councillor has called on the Government to urgently adopt new testing protocols for defective concrete block homes in light of the revised I.S. 465:20...

A Donegal councillor has called on the Government to urgently adopt new testing protocols for defective concrete block homes in light of the revised I.S. 465:2026 standard.

Councillor Denis McGee of the 100% Redress Party is warning that failing to properly assess foundations before rebuilding could leave families facing future problems.

The Glenties area councillor brought a motion before Monday's meeting of Donegal County Council urging the Minister for Housing to heed recommendations from international geologists and scientists that foundation testing should form part of the core sampling process.

He also argued that adopting newer testing protocols could significantly reduce waiting times for homeowners while avoiding unnecessary public spending.

"It makes no sense to rebuild homes on foundations affected by internal sulphate attack if those foundations are going to weaken over time," he said.

"By carrying out proper foundation testing at the core-sampling stage, millions of euro could be saved.

"80% of these core sample test results could be delivered in six weeks, not nine months."

Cllr McGee said the new testing protocol is estimated to cost €900, as opposed to €7,000-8,000 prices currently faced.

"This is not the government's money, it's taxpayers' money, and it's being wasted."

The new testing protocols follow a two-stage process, starting with a basic screening (Suite A) and moving to detailed forensic analysis (Suite B) only if the initial results are not clear.

Seconding the motion, Cllr Joy Beard said the updated standard strengthened the case for testing foundations before rebuilding begins.

“The revised I.S. 465:2026 standard recognises that foundations are potentially at risk and they have the same defective concrete mechanism as what is found in the blocks,” she said.

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Beard revealed that her own home's foundations had already been removed and tested and classified as high risk.

"It simply makes no sense at all to spend hundreds of thousands of euro demolishing and rebuilding a home, leaving defective foundations potentially in place," she said.

"If we get this wrong today, we are storing up problems for the future."

She said families were continuing to face lengthy waits for test results, leaving them unable to move forward with rebuilding.

"Families are waiting a minimum of nine months now for testing to be done," she said.

"Those delays mean people remain in damaged homes, they can't carry on with organising the rebuilding of their homes.

"They basically remain trapped in that home, which is dangerous and unhealthy."

Cllr Beard said information presented to the Oireachtas by Petrolab, a private company involved in testing defective concrete block homes, suggested that the new testing protocol in the revised I.S. 465:2026 could significantly reduce waiting times.

"If improved scientific methods can reduce the turnaround times from many months to a matter of weeks, then that's something that should be embraced immediately," she said.

Cllr Beard said Petrolab had estimated that reducing unnecessary testing could save the State around €50 million.

"Good science leads to the right decisions being made," she said.

"Right decisions will save money. But most importantly, they get these families back into their safe homes sooner."

The motion was adopted without opposition, with Donegal County Council agreeing to write to the Minister for Housing outlining the concerns raised.

This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.