Student accommodation firm with Irish project installed 'unsafe' balconies in Sweden
By Brían Donnelly | Sep 18 2018
A Swedish student accommodation prodiver with plans to bring 700 bed spaces on to the Irish market at their site in Sandyford has built balconies which are unsafe and not fit for purpose at a student accommodation development in Stockholm.A subcontractor in dispute with developers on the site in Sweden has said he feels "sorry for the students" living in the accommodation on Bromstensvägen, Stockholm as video footage shows a balcony in one of the Swedish units affected by damp and which he claims is not properly affixed to the building.Subcontractor Abdalla El Barawany told Our Man In Stockholm that the floor board used on the balconies "are not made for outdoor use. So basically, they cannot withstand the weather - not water nor sun nor cold or hot. What happens is they deteriorate over time." The report states that the company were aware that the floor boards are not intended for outdoor use but that they continued to install them.The report also states that students living in accommodation built by Prime Living in Spånga have been compensated for the poor standard of the apartments. El Barawany has alleged that Prime Living is involved in a plot to intimidate him, as shots have been fired at his home and a grenade found in the garden of his parents' house. Prime Living had also produced a document, later declared by police to have been likely false, which allegedly stated that El Barwany was choosing to leave the project.Prime Living Sandyford holds a 70 per cent share in the joint venture with Cara Cove Holding, which holds the remaining 30 per cent. The joint venture first acquired a 0.33 hectare development site in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, where they plan to provide 136 beds.The Irish Times reported in September 2017 that Prime Living Sandyford outbid a number of local developers to purchase the site at the junction of Blackthorn Road and Carmanhall Road, around 3km from UCD and a five-minute walk from two Luas stations. Its overall investment was said to be €31.5 million, including €10.3 on the cost of the site.In July 2018, Prime Living Sandyford took out a mortgage on the Sandyford site with Finance Ireland Credit Solutions. Our Man in Sweden reported that the company borrowed over €5 million to develop the units.Announcing the Sandyford development, Prime Living CEO Jan Servera said, “The development of the student apartments in Sandyford is the first international project for Prime Living and with this financing we begin the serious process of building which is estimated to be done by the autumn term of 2019”.Patrick McGlinchey, Director of Prime Living Sandyford, was contacted for comment but had not replied at the time of publication. Our Man in Stockholm originally reported on this story.