Were You a victim of Grant?
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For those of you who missed it there is a link to the full programme on this page
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Thankfully no :).
Sorry, meant to post about this being on earlier in the week but I forgot.
It got decidedly more interesting once a handful of Georgian’s came into it :), which spookily I passed only the other day and noted how appalling they looked…
As for the placing of 60 beds in the basements!!??Yes clearly Grant’s a nasty piece of work, and it is extraordinary how after years of the biggest construction boom this country has ever seen, there is still no regulation in the practice of architecture here.
I wonder if this will get the wheels in motion.
A good piece of journalisim, although I found the linking of the Stardust disaster in such an indirect fashion to Mr Grant a tad sensationalist. -
@Graham Hickey wrote:
Thankfully no :).
Sorry, meant to post about this being on earlier in the week but I forgot.
It got decidedly more interesting once a handful of Georgian’s came into it :), which spookily I passed only the other day and noted how appalling they looked…Yes clearly Grant’s a nasty piece of work, and it is extraordinary how after years of the biggest construction boom this country has ever seen, there is still no regulation in the practice of architecture here.
I wonder if this will get the wheels in motion.
A good piece of journalisim, although I found the linking of the Stardust disaster in such an indirect fashion to Mr Grant a tad sensationalist.I couldn’t agree more on the lack of regulation regarding professional input, I’m not saying that everything requiring planning permission should require an architect to sign off on the plans but certainly any project that involves heritage property or an independent structure or in the case of an extension over say 60 sq m.
I doubt this is what Tony Reddy was referring to when he spoke about 85% of the complaints received being outside their remit as the works were designed by non-architects.
Regarding comparison with the Stardust, that probably should have been left out, it is a little close to home for some people; although his sort probably wouldn’t care less if they were cutting corners and something hypothetically were to happen.
All in all primetime at their patient best :p
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The living conditions of that premises on Gardiner St seemed appalling – it really highlights an underworld that most people know nothing about. One dreads to think of the horrendous conditions people, esp immigrants are forced to live in right around the country, let alone the undoubted hundreds of properties similar to those featured in the centre of Dublin alone.
You do get glimpses of such places if you walk around the north inner-city a lot – places that you’d wonder about the structural soundness, fire regs and sound insulation etc.
Personally I find nothing worse than breaches of fire safety – it is the lowest of the low that deliberately ignore such regulations. -
I totally agree, I feel that the lack of resources in planning enforcement allows guys like this a free reign, and before anyone thinks that I am having a go at DCC I am not, they do their best in the face severe funding constraints. It is a fact that a planning enforcement case can only brought on foot of a complaint, when enforcement proceedings are commenced the transgressor will often submit an aplication for planning permission, the complainent then has to pay to object and in many cases planners will grant permission just to get the file off the desk.
As you say Graham the North Inner City is full of places like this and it is probably time for Dublin to have drive by surveys done to identify buildings that may deserve a fire inspection.
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A freind of mine recently lodged a planning application for an extension and as yet no decision has been made by the planners, he paid five grand to have this done by Mr Grant, could someone very kindly tell me is my freind in a position where he will need to have new plans made from scratch or can he get permission as is?
Thanks
John
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@JPD wrote:
A freind of mine recently lodged a planning application for an extension and as yet no decision has been made by the planners, he paid five grand to have this done by Mr Grant, could someone very kindly tell me is my freind in a position where he will need to have new plans made from scratch or can he get permission as is?
Thanks
John
his name on the application will make no difference. it’s still valid. just be wary of his 76% refusal rate in some parts of dublin. 5 grand? ouch
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maybe the program cast doubt on the legality of the planning applications he made. as it stands, a registered architect is not required to be involved in an application, and many small extensions or even dwellings woud not involve a member of the RIAI or RIBA. the issues highlighted by the program were his over-charging for poor work with unrealistic guarantees for successful applications, as well as immoral (and in some cases illegal) occasions when he presented himself as a qualified architect or as a member of a certified institute.
your friend’s application will be judged on it’s merits, which may or may not be of a high standard or even a standard that might satisfy the planners. the “architect” involved would not be an issue, or at least it shouldn’t be.
one thing that appalls me from that show is his zero percent pre-planning discussion record. he just fires them in without consultation, and with fees ranging from 3 grand upwards, the least you’d expect is a bit of effort on the part of your designer to placate planners and take into account any concrens they might have regards your design.
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it was funny (kinda) seeing people get ripped off for obviously flawed schemes in the first place. when it bacame a matter of safety with a real possibility of people dying it became less funny, and when it became apparent he wasn’t above dolling out death threats to people that crossed him, it wasn’t funny at all.
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SW101 Thanks for clearing everything up: my freind went to the Civic Offices last week and had a chat with a planner who told him that once they were satisfied that the job would be professionally supervised they didn’t see it as a reason to refuse planning permission. You are so right that it was his attitude to fire laws and threatening behaviour that was worse than anything else.
PS My freind says thanks
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RTE probe man gets building go-ahead
Sunday Business Post
03 April 2005 By Liz Walsh
Dublin City Council has granted permission for a major apartment block at the rear of an illegal hostel that it considers a potential firetrap.Controversial architect David Grant owns the Celtic Inn at 7-10 Upper Gardiner Street in Dublin. He runs the building as a hostel without permission and without a fire safety certificate.
On March 21, the same day the city council began fire safety proceedings against Grant, it gave him the go ahead for a multi-million euro development at the rear of the building.
Simultaneously, the council is attempting to have Grant jailed for contempt of a High Court order over his illegal gutting of the buildings, which are protected Georgian structures.
The Scotsman was the subject of a recent Prime Time investigation into the architectural services that he offers to the public, mainly through newspaper adverts.
Last Friday, the Irish Independent confirmed that it had “pulled’‘ his ads in all of its publications. A spokesman said: “The group will no longer accept any ads from Grant or any of his companies.â€
Sources in the council have described the decision to grant permission for the four and five-storey block of 20 apartments with balconies and 15 car spaces as “unbelievable’‘, given Grant’s “appalling track record’‘ in general building control, planning and fire safety.
Last August, another of Grant’s hostels, on Adelaide Road, went on fire and occupants had to jump from the second floor windows. He had no permission to run the hostel and no fire safety certificate.
The council threatened legal proceedings before the fire but did not follow through after Grant promised, in March of last year, to cease using it as a hostel.
There appears to be strong evidence, however, that the building was being used as a hostel when the fire broke out.
The council has also confirmed it is bringing proceedings against Grant for carrying on a business at his Haddington Road address and is seeking the removal of an “unauthorised two-storey extension’‘ at the rear.
Secret filming during the Prime Time investigation showed the extent of the gutting and fire hazards, including exposed electrical wires hanging from ceilings.
The fire safety notice, issued the day before the programme was broadcast, listed 28 points of concern, including inadequate escape stairways and too many bed spaces.
It also specified that the electrical services within the building must conform to ESB standards. Furthermore, the notice warned Grant not to use the premises as a hotel or guesthouse. The Gardiner Street hostel houses about 300,mostly long-stay residents from eastern Europe.
The city council can apply to court for an order to shut the building down and evacuate the occupants, or if it considers it an immediate danger, it can do so on foot of an inspector’s report.
It was open to the council to refuse permission for the new apartments until Grant restored the buildings as ordered by the High Court on January 24 last. Instead, the council merely stipulated that the proposed apartments should not be “occupied’‘, allowing Grant to build the apartments and sell the entire property on.
The council said it would not comment on individual applications. Grant’s application was registered on February 25 and passed just 24 days later.
Grant has been sued successfully on a number of occasions in relation to his architectural services and more cases are being prepared. The courts have found that he drew up plans in contravention of the Dublin Development Plan and in some cases, actually misrepresented sites, most of which were in side and back gardens.
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You are right SW101. The quote below is simply mind boggling. I dont think it is now unfair to ask if they simply rubber stamp things without really knowing what sort of standard the development is going to be.
“Sources in the council have described the decision to grant permission for the four and five-storey block of 20 apartments with balconies and 15 car spaces as “unbelievable’‘, given Grant’s “appalling track record’‘ in general building control, planning and fire safety.”
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@Graham Hickey wrote:
A good piece of journalisim, although I found the linking of the Stardust disaster in such an indirect fashion to Mr Grant a tad sensationalist.
300 people are going to sleep in a fire hazard hostel on Gardiner street tonight despite the fact that everyone is aware of its non-compliance with fire regulations. The link looks pretty clear to me.
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@Frank Taylor wrote:
300 people are going to sleep in a fire hazard hostel on Gardiner street tonight despite the fact that everyone is aware of its non-compliance with fire regulations. The link looks pretty clear to me.
it’s pretty alarming alright. why can’t the filth just go over there right now, shut the place down and arrest whoever is in charge?
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@Frank Taylor wrote:
300 people are going to sleep in a fire hazard hostel on Gardiner street tonight despite the fact that everyone is aware of its non-compliance with fire regulations. The link looks pretty clear to me.
When you put it like that, it certainly puts the situation into stark relief – and goodness only knows how many other similar cases there are out there – that’s the real concern.
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@sw101 wrote:
it’s pretty alarming alright. why can’t the filth just go over there right now, shut the place down and arrest whoever is in charge?
That is a good point, does the fire safety officer not have the right to close any commercial premises in breach of the fire regulations? I have heard of pre-63 properties being closed by the fire officer on many occaisions.
I also wish it were those with the power to lock him up who were going to act next. 😡
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@Frank Taylor wrote:
300 people are going to sleep in a fire hazard hostel on Gardiner street tonight despite the fact that everyone is aware of its non-compliance with fire regulations. The link looks pretty clear to me.
That is seriously taking the piss
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@Paul Clerkin wrote:
RTE probe man gets building go-ahead
Sunday Business Post
03 April 2005 By Liz WalshLast August, another of Grant’s hostels, on Adelaide Road, went on fire and occupants had to jump from the second floor windows. He had no permission to run the hostel and no fire safety certificate.
The council threatened legal proceedings before the fire but did not follow through after Grant promised, in March of last year, to cease using it as a hostel.
There appears to be strong evidence, however, that the building was being used as a hostel when the fire broke out.
Does anyone know the status of this building at present?
I passed here yesterday and noticed that the front door and windows are still covered off by corragated iron sheeting, there appears to be no plan by grant to restore this building given that he is advertising ‘Car-Spaces To- Let’ which to my mind is not something you would do if a major building renovation were planned in the short term. Which to my mind is the only acceptable period, if Grant is unwilling or unable to return this property to a condition in accordance with the building regulations then action should be taken to ensure it reaches the marketplace via CPO where there are dozens of investors who would.
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@RTE INTERACTIVE wrote:
Planning refusal for controversial agent
18 May 2005 16:50
An Bord Pleanála has refused planning permission to another project submitted by the controversial planning agent David Grant, who claims to be a qualified architect and is based at Ballsbridge in south Dublin.Mr Grant was the subject of a recent RTÉ Prime Time programme which found that his refusal rate in Fingal Council was 67% of all applications submitted.
In Dublin City Council, he had a three times higher rate of refusal than any other architect. His rate of refusal at An Bord Pleanála was also described as abysmal.
In this latest decision, the board refused to overturn a decision by Dublin City Council to refuse permission for a series of works on Georgian buildings on Upper Gardiner Street, which were protected structures.
The board described the alterations proposed as inappropriate, and considered the cumulative effect of the works would have an adverse impact on the integrity, character and setting of the protected structures.
It also found there was a lack of precise information submitted in connection with the planning application which were required under the Planning and Development Regulations, 2001.
The buildings were subject of a High Court order relating to Mr Grant’s unlawful gutting of four Georgian protected structures.
Hardly to be welcomed but ABP doing its job effeciently and correctly as per normal.
Does anyone know the status of his hostal in Adelaide Road?
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I notice that Mr Grant has a current application in for retention of an extension built without permission to his business address at 61 Haddington Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Planning Application Reference: 3072/05
This application was made 27-May-2005 so there’s still time for submissions from the public 🙂 .
A previous application (2447/05 ) was declared invalid on the 10-May-2005.
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Council fails to have architect jailed
11 August 2006 15:18
Dublin City Council has failed in an attempt to have architect David Grant jailed for not complying with a High Court order.He was ordered to effectively re-build four Georgian properties on Gardiner Street in Dublin, having carried out extensive unauthorised works on them.
Mr Grant was the subject of an RT
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Taken from AJ. Is he the same man???
The ARB has successfully prosecuted a man who falsely advertised his company as an architect’s practice.
David Grant, head of Inspire Designs in east London, was found guilty of breaching Section 20 of the Architects Act, and was ordered to pay £1,500 in fines and costs by Stratford magistrates.
Grant did not attend the 6 September hearing, nor did he submit any mitigation in his defence.
A spokesman from the ARB’s regulation department said after the hearing: ‘Mr Grant had falsely advertised his firm under an ‘Architects’ listing in the Estates Gazette.
‘This was a blatant attempt to mislead members of the public into believing that his firm was a reputable firm of architects. Not only does this mislead consumers, it also undermines the profession’s integrity in the eyes of the public.’
The spokesman added: ‘The board remains committed to prosecuting individuals who act in such a manner.’
by Richard Vaughan
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Any further word on this bastard? His buildings at Gardiner St Upr / Mountjoy Sq continue to be in an appalling state. Another one being run on similar lines opposite Grants at the corner at 1 Mountjoy Sq caught fire over Christmas. In media reports the buildings was referred to as a hostel – these buildings are not hostels they are slums, and more worringly that particular corner only became slums in the last few years 😡
Enforcement DCC – or will the lucky escape at Christmas be ignored until its too late?
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He has just taken a referral to the Bord under reference 29SRL2411 (Whether the 2 storey rear extension is or is not development and is or is not excempted development. 61 Haddington Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. )
http://www.pleanala.ie/allnew190107.html
Was wondering myself what became of the case due for mention in October last
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I am at present a victim of D.Grant i live in kilcoole house that he owns i am at present awaiting a decision by the PRTB on this case i would appreciate it if anyone has any info on this man as i plan on taking him to court and suing him.One thing nobody here seems to realize is that the prime time program is not the first made about him sottish TV also did a special about his time as a rogue landlord ,i can provide a copy for anyone who would like to see this program ,his victims in this case were not so lucky in his fire trap slums he got run out of scotland leaving his wife and daughter behind not a pleasant man
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dublin city council are at present persuing mr grant or were, will be getting an update soon.I am still in the house that mr grant once owned it was repossessed for non payment of a loan he took out on property and yet he is still harrassing me for rent on a property he does not own and the law is letting him away with it.If anyone has any info which might help me like his present whereabouts in england please let me know thanks
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@parka wrote:
Taken from AJ. Is he the same man???
The ARB has successfully prosecuted a man who falsely advertised his company as an architect’s practice.
David Grant, head of Inspire Designs in east London, was found guilty of breaching Section 20 of the Architects Act, and was ordered to pay £1,500 in fines and costs by Stratford magistrates.
Grant did not attend the 6 September hearing, nor did he submit any mitigation in his defence.
A spokesman from the ARB’s regulation department said after the hearing: ‘Mr Grant had falsely advertised his firm under an ‘Architects’ listing in the Estates Gazette.
‘This was a blatant attempt to mislead members of the public into believing that his firm was a reputable firm of architects. Not only does this mislead consumers, it also undermines the profession’s integrity in the eyes of the public.’
The spokesman added: ‘The board remains committed to prosecuting individuals who act in such a manner.’
by Richard Vaughan
If it is the same guy then he is still in business
Is this the guy?
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@S.O.S. wrote:
If it is the same guy then he is still in business
Is this the guy?
to inspiredesigns@btconnect.com
I would be grateful if you could confirm if you were practicing in Dublin at any point over the past ten years. I appreciate that this may seem like a strange request but I would offer that clearing up any confusion with a David Grant once based in Dublin would be entirely beneficial to your practice.
I look forward to hearing from you
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@PVC King wrote:
to inspiredesigns@btconnect.com
I would be grateful if you could confirm if you were practicing in Dublin at any point over the past ten years. I appreciate that this may seem like a strange request but I would offer that clearing up any confusion with a David Grant once based in Dublin would be entirely beneficial to your practice.
I look forward to hearing from you
If it is the David Grant we have been hearing about, I doubt he would say yes
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Got an e-mail back from the site in question stating that he had never practiced in Dublin; there is a good article in this for a journalist either tracking the guy down to a fairly unsalubrious part of the M25 connurbation or highlighting the risks of bloggers linking a common name with an entirely innocent party.
What has happened to the Gardiner Street Terrace presumably it now complies fully with the fire regs?
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@PVC King wrote:
Got an e-mail back from the site in question stating that he had never practiced in Dublin; there is a good article in this for a journalist either tracking the guy down to a fairly unsalubrious part of the M25 connurbation or highlighting the risks of bloggers linking a common name with an entirely innocent party.
well, either the person who emailed you is lying or a vary lazy sunday times journo took his info off this site. Half page article on this very topic on page 5 of the Sunday Times news section.
May 31, 2009
Fake architect opens design practice in UK
David Grant, who was exposed by an RTE documentary, claims to have 25 years’ experience in the industry Colin Coyle
David Grant, a businessman who falsely claimed to be an architect and who was exposed by an RTE Television documentary, is now operating an “architecture” practice in England.Grant, who remains the subject of court proceedings with Dublin city council, is running Inspire Design in the East End of London. He is described on the company’s website as having “over 25 years’ experience in architecture, design, property development and planning applications”.
Dublin city council won a judgment against Grant earlier this year in relation to a hostel that he operates at 7-10 Upper Gardiner Street, and is awaiting a final order in relation to the case.
Grant pleaded guilty in 2007 to allowing dangerous buildings on Upper Gardiner Street to be used as a hostel for 170 people, including children. The council sought to have Grant jailed after it emerged that the Georgian building had been turned into a hostel without planning permission or a fire safety certificate.
Grant committed to selling two properties he owned in the city centre to pay for remedial works on the hostel, which still operates today under the name Celtic Inn.
Two years later he is still trying to sell both properties to fund further works at the hostel. He is seeking ¤1.195m for 7 Adelaide Road in Dublin 2, which he also operated as a hostel before it was gutted by fire in 2005. Earlier this month he secured planning consent to convert the fire-damaged building into 12 apartments.
The property’s asking price has been dropped from €2.5m since it first came on the market almost two years ago. Grant is also trying to sell his former Dublin residence, 61 Haddington Road in Ballsbridge, for ¤1.25m, reduced from €1.6m when it first came on the market two years ago.
Grant left Ireland following a Prime Time investigation, which revealed that he set himself up as an architect without formal qualifications. After attracting clients through a series of newspaper advertisements, Grant applied for planning permission for hundreds of infill homes in “corner sites” and side gardens in Dublin.
It later emerged that up to two-thirds of his applications to one council were rejected — three times more than the average. Grant claimed afterwards that his business had been “wiped out” following the broadcast of the documentary.
In 2003 Grant was ordered by a judge to pay a homeless man €250 every month to meet the cost of accommodation after he illegally evicted him from a bedsit in the building at Upper Gardiner Street that he had recently purchased. After removing the epileptic from his accommodation, Grant and construction workers demolished the bedsit.
The businessman was also previously the subject of an exposé by a Scottish newspaper. In the 1990s he operated as a landlord in Glasgow. A number of students lost deposits after Grant “rented” property to them that was already occupied.
On the website of his London business, he claims that he has been “consulted as an expert and written articles” in Irish newspapers. He failed to respond to calls or e-mails last week.
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Fake architect prosecuted – for the second time
2 June, 2009By Marguerite Lazell
A man who falsely called himself an architect has been fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £4,500 in costs after being pleading guilty to misusing the title architect.
It is the second time David Grant of east London-based Inspire Design has been successfully prosecuted for breaching Section 20 of the Architects Act, having been fined £200 and ordered to pay £1,300 costs at a previous hearing in September 2006, also brought by the Arb.
The latest charges brought against Grant included advertising under the “architects” listing in a telephone directory and using the title on the company’s website.
Grant was found guilty of three breaches of Section 20 of the Architects Act at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on May 13.
A spokesman for Arb’s professional standards department said: “The level of fine and costs awarded in this case send a strong message to anyone who is fraudulently using the title architect. Arb remains committed to bringing such individuals to justice.”
This weekend Grant was the subject of an article in the Sunday Times, which described how the “fake architect” had set up in London, claiming 25 years’ experience, after a television documentary by RTE in Ireland revealed a catalogue of property dealings which included operating a hostel in Dublin without planning permission or a fire-safety certificate.
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@SirRaymondMang wrote:
Where are these articles he claimed to have published in the Sunday Times and Irish Independent?
The articles published were about him not by him 😉
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to quote his website
“Our principal: Mr. David Grant has over 25 years experience in Architecture, Design property development and planning applications, of small, medium and large scale projects. We have completed design projects in 7 countries.
He has been consulted as an expert & written articles published in “The Sunday Times” & “The Irish Independent” Newspapers.”
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fined £200 and ordered to pay £1,300 costs
A spokesman for Arb’s professional standards department said: “The level of fine and costs awarded in this case send a strong message to anyone who is fraudulently using the title architect. Arb remains committed to bringing such individuals to justice.”
Are they having a laugh? £1500
http://www.arb.org.uk/registration/fees-2009.shtml
Probably works out cheaper for him in the long run…
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@SirRaymondMang wrote:
to quote his website
“Our principal: Mr. David Grant has over 25 years experience in Architecture, Design property development and planning applications, of small, medium and large scale projects. We have completed design projects in 7 countries.
He has been consulted as an expert & written articles published in “The Sunday Times” & “The Irish Independent” Newspapers.”
Face it, his ‘website’ is as farcical as the man himself. Naturally he’s going to hype up his profile. What annoys me is the fact that he still gets away with it and the little fines do little to prevent him making a career change. Maybe he could take up BER assessing.
Incidentally, there are few other companies I have come across that have have a team of highly qualified ‘Architects and other disciplines’, yet the highest qualification they possess is a certificate in building studies (if lucky).
It is quite worrying that qualifications in any profession mean so little these days.
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@parka wrote:
is a certificate in building studies (if lucky).
It is quite worrying that qualifications in any profession mean so little these days.At the end of the day its just an important piece of paper…
It does not guarantee a job it does not guarantee a good service or a career…
Its called the education industry and they appear better networked than the architects… -
Is this the same David Grant?
ThePost.ie
Architect ordered to pay €663,000 on repossessed house
31 January 2010 By Kieron WoodAn architect whose investment property was repossessed and sold after he missed mortgage payments is facing further payments of more than €663,000.
David Grant has been ordered by the High Court to repay ICS Building Society the remainder of a mortgage on the property even though it seized it back from him. Grant had appealed to the High Court, saying that the bank’s loan to him was ‘‘reckless’’ and its claim ‘‘unfair’’.
He asked why he should be asked to repay the full loan when the banks in general were being bailed out by the Irish taxpayer. In the court last week, High Court judge Peter Charleton said that Grant and ICS both seemed to have taken the same ‘‘overvalued view’’ about the value of the house and land near Newtownmountkennedy in Co Wicklow.
Grant paid €372,033 for the property in 2002, intending to build a housing estate. He borrowed €788,000 from the ICS in 2003 and a further €92,000 in 2004. The loans were secured by a mortgage on the property, which ICS valued at €1.1 million.
By 2007, Grant still owed €811,029. In December 2008, the building society repossessed the property, which was sold last September for €355,000. The Master of the High Court granted ICS judgment for e€1,007,103, less the sale proceeds.
Grant told the court he had a legitimate expectation that he would be able to develop the property so he could keep up his repayments and ultimately make a profit. When he borrowed the money from ICS, he considered his investment to be ‘‘sound, prudent and wise’’.
However, Charleton said that it wasn’t accurate to claim that a mortgage was effectively a promise that, in the event of default, the bank would simply sell off the property and write off the rest of the debt.
The judge said ICS had used a ‘‘serious auctioneer’’ who had secured ‘‘the best price reasonably to be obtained’’ in 2009.
He said the low selling price had ‘‘more to do with domestic lack of prudence’’ than Grant’s claim of a ‘‘major, economic and financial worldwide collapse’’.
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I’ve already mailed a couple of links to the SBP questioning his identity and notified the RIAI.
Its precisely this kind of loose reporting that brings qualified architects into disrepute by association in the public eye.
There seems little point in making the rest of the prefession jumpt through hoops to become registered if they’re not already members of the RIAI and letter papers of record publish errors like this.
Assuming that is indeed the case and its not some other David Grant – there is at least one whom I understand is a Fianna Fáil politician…
ONQ.
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By Myles BUCHANAN
Wednesday February 03 2010
A WICKLOW architect has been ordered to pay a € 663,000 debt on his re-possessed house in Newtownmountkennedy.
David Grant has been ordered by the High Court to pay ICS Building Society the remainder of a mortgage on the Newtown property even though it seized it back from him.
Mr. Grant’s investment property was already repossessed after he missed mortgage payments.
Mr. Grant had appealed to the High Court, claiming the bank’s loan to him was ‘reckless’ and its claim ‘unfair.’ He also asked why he should be asked to repay the full loan when the banks were being bailed out by taxpayers’ money.
High Court Judge, Peter Charleton, said both Mr. Grant and ICS had taken an ‘overvalued view’ over the value of the house and land.
Mr. Grant bought the property in 2002 for €372,033 with the intention of building a housing estate. In 2003 he secured a € 788,000 loan from ICS in 2003 and borrowed a further € 92,000 in 2004. The loans were secured through a mortgage on the property.
By 2007 € 811,029 was owed and in December of 2008 ICS repossess the property. It was sold last September for € 355,000. The Master of the High Court granted ICS judgement for € 1,007,103, less the sale proceeds.
Mr. Grant said he considered the investment to be ‘ sound, prudent and wise’ when he borrowed the money.
He had a legitimate expectation that he would be able to develop the property so he could make his repayments and ultimately make a profit.
Judge Charleton, however, said it wasn’t accurate to claim a mortgage was effectively a promise that, in the event of a default, the bank would simply sell off the property and write off the rest of the debt.
He added that ICS had used a ‘serious auctioneer’ who secured the ‘best price reasonably to be obtained’ in 2009.
He felt the low selling price had ‘more to do with domestic lack of prudence’ than Mr. Grant’s claim of a ‘major, economic and financial worldwide collapse.’
– Myles BUCHANAN
ONQ, looks like you’ll have to e-mail the Independent as well!
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David Grant is in Rio De Janiero. He lives on Rua Miguel Lemos, one block from Avenida Atlantica. His web site is http://brazilpropertunities.com/. His telephone number is 55-21-9360-8077. He has coloured his hair jet black and lost a stone plus many pounds. He frequents a pub named Balcony Bar.
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From Sunday Business Post (19.06.11):
Developer and landlord David Grant will see his former home on Haddington Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 go under the hammer for less than €400,000, a quarter of its original asking price, at the Allsop/Space auction of distressed properties next month.
Number 61 Haddington Road failed to sell at auction in 2006 with an advised minimum value of €1.6 million, but now it’s likely to be sold for about a quarter of the price next month.
The mid-terrace building is being auctioned ‘‘on the instructions of the mortgagee in possession’’ with a reserve not to exceed €395,000, according to the auction catalogue. Grant’s former home is situated on the south side of Haddington Road, just off Baggot Street.
The accommodation is arranged over lower ground, raised ground and first floors beneath a pitched roof. Internally it’s arranged as two-self contained residential units.
It is being sold with vacant possession. In October 2009, the Dublin County Registrar’s Court heard that Grant owed the Bank of Scotland (Ireland) an outstanding balance of just over €1.3 million on a house on Haddington Road, Ballsbridge. The bank was seeking possession of the property on foot of an unpaid mortgage.
Grant was the subject of an RTE Prime Time programme in 2007 that questioned his claim to be an architect. Afterwards he had set up business as Inspire Design in east London.
But in May 2009 he was charged and ordered by Stratford London magistrates court to pay a total of €6,000 in fines and costs for falsely listing himself as an architect in the telephone directory and on his company website.
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@SirRaymondMang wrote:
By Myles BUCHANAN
Wednesday February 03 2010
A WICKLOW architect has been ordered to pay a € 663,000 debt on his re-possessed house in Newtownmountkennedy.
David Grant has been ordered by the High Court to pay ICS Building Society the remainder of a mortgage on the Newtown property even though it seized it back from him.
Mr. Grant’s investment property was already repossessed after he missed mortgage payments.
Mr. Grant had appealed to the High Court, claiming the bank’s loan to him was ‘reckless’ and its claim ‘unfair.’ He also asked why he should be asked to repay the full loan when the banks were being bailed out by taxpayers’ money.
High Court Judge, Peter Charleton, said both Mr. Grant and ICS had taken an ‘overvalued view’ over the value of the house and land.
Mr. Grant bought the property in 2002 for €372,033 with the intention of building a housing estate. In 2003 he secured a € 788,000 loan from ICS in 2003 and borrowed a further € 92,000 in 2004. The loans were secured through a mortgage on the property.
By 2007 € 811,029 was owed and in December of 2008 ICS repossess the property. It was sold last September for € 355,000. The Master of the High Court granted ICS judgement for € 1,007,103, less the sale proceeds.
Mr. Grant said he considered the investment to be ‘ sound, prudent and wise’ when he borrowed the money.
He had a legitimate expectation that he would be able to develop the property so he could make his repayments and ultimately make a profit.
Judge Charleton, however, said it wasn’t accurate to claim a mortgage was effectively a promise that, in the event of a default, the bank would simply sell off the property and write off the rest of the debt.
He added that ICS had used a ‘serious auctioneer’ who secured the ‘best price reasonably to be obtained’ in 2009.
He felt the low selling price had ‘more to do with domestic lack of prudence’ than Mr. Grant’s claim of a ‘major, economic and financial worldwide collapse.’
– Myles BUCHANAN
ONQ, looks like you’ll have to e-mail the Independent as well!
Sorry I missed this Sir Raymond.
I’ve given up doing other people’s jobs for them.
I intend joining the RIAI and pressuring them to get their act together on things like this.ONQ.
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@whoknows4sure wrote:
David Grant is in Rio De Janiero. He lives on Rua Miguel Lemos, one block from Avenida Atlantica. His web site is http://brazilpropertunities.com/. His telephone number is 55-21-9360-8077. He has coloured his hair jet black and lost a stone plus many pounds. He frequents a pub named Balcony Bar.
LOL!
How do you know all this stuff?
ONQ.
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