Appeal No. VA92/6/073
AN BINSE LUACHÁLA Aer Lingus APPELLANT RE: Offices, Stores and Land at Map Ref: 21 ABCDEFG,
B E F O R E JUDGMENT OF THE VALUATION TRIBUNAL By Notice of Appeal dated the 30th day of October, 1992 the appellant appealed against the determination of the Commissioner of Valuation in fixing a rateable valuation of £5,000 on the above described hereditament. The grounds of appeal as set out in the Notice of Appeal are that "the rateable valuation is excessive, inequitable and bad in law". The Property 21A - The main head office building was built in 1965 - 1966, is 6 floors
high with a small basement. It holds circa 79,570 square feet of the 137,043
square feet. 21B - Service annex and stores. Built 1965/66. Semi industrial style
offices. In good condition. Stores at rere. 2 storey building. Offices
12,340 square feet. 21C - Sales training centre. 2 portacabin offices in good condition. 1,817 square feet. 21D - Old stores and generator building. 2,964 square feet. Single storey. 21E - Information systems building. Built 1989 cost £500,000. Purpose built for computer operations. 30 car spaces attached. 2 storey building 10,536 square feet. 21F - Revenue accounts office. Built 1980. Plain offices. 11,682 square feet. Single storey. 21G - Cabin Crew Training Centre. Formerly a gym. 4,589 square feet.
Single storey. Tenure Valuation History Written Submissions Mr. Frank O'Donnell in his written submission set out his calculation
of the R.V. as follows:-
Details of his comparisons are attached as Appendix A to this judgement. In his written submission Mr. Frank O'Connor of the Valuation Office set out his calculation of the R.V. as follows:- 21A Head Office 21B Service Annex 21D *Stores 2006ft2] 2964ft2 @ £1 = £ 2,964 21E Information Systems Building 21F Revenue Office 21G Training Centre 4589ft2 @ £2.50 = £ 11,473 Total Offices: 118047ft2 @ £5.75/ft2 average = £678,770 Total Stores* 18996 @ £1.00/ft2 average = £ 18,996 Car Spaces 470 @ £200 = £ 94,000 Details of his comparisons are attached as Appendix B to this judgement. Oral Hearing Mr. Peter Reynolds, Facilities Engineer (Aer Lingus) and Mr. Frank O'Donnell, Valuer, gave evidence on behalf of the appellant and Mr. Frank O'Connor, Appeal Valuer, gave evidence on behalf of the respondent. From the outset counsel for the appellant indicated that the same arguments would be advanced in respect of the subject as were advanced in respect of VA92/4/029 - Rainbow Bookshops -V- Commissioner of Valuation case and requested that the findings of the Tribunal would be delivered in the same terms as in the Rainbow Bookshops case in relation to the question of law therein. This request was acceded to by the Tribunal (and this judgement is made on the basis of the incorporation therein of the Rainbow Bookshops case decision on the point of law). Accordingly the Tribunal finds for the respondent in the same manner as was decided by the Tribunal in the Rainbow Bookshops case. Mr. Frank O'Donnell gave evidence along the lines of his précis and laid great emphasis on the fact that the buildings (apart from the Imbus building) were old. He asserted that the Head Office building (21A) was obsolete and referred to the high cost of bringing same up-to-date. The parties advanced comparable evidence in relation to car parks and offices. Mr. Frank O'Donnell suggested that the office comparisons put forward by the respondent all related to more prime property located closer to the main terminal than the subject properties. Mr. O'Donnell also argued strongly for the valuation of car parking to be determined in accordance with the series of car parks valued by the Tribunal or agreed in recent times. The Tribunal finds that the Head Office building is at this stage somewhat dour and uninviting with design difficulties that certainly do not leave it in the top rank of office space. However, this building should be valued in its present state without regard to high cost of refurbishment. Similarly, the portacabins are not up to par. The training centre also merits some reduction. In summary, the Tribunal takes the following approach to Mr. O'Connor's table as set out in the respondent's precis:- 21A - Main Office at £5.00 per square foot = £385,415 21B - Offices at £5.50 per square foot = £ 67,870 21C - Sales Training Centre 21D - Stores and Generator Building at £1.00 = £ 2,964 21E - Information Systems Building: 21F - Revenue Office: 21G - Cabin Crew Training Centre at £2.00 per square foot = £
9,178 On the basis of an agreed fraction of 0.63% the rateable valuation is
£4,235 and the Tribunal so determines.
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