Public consultation on IS 465, defective blocks protocol, extended until 11 July

The National Standards Authority of Ireland has announced a six-week extension to the public consultation period for the revised IS 465 standard, following formal requests from Coleman Legal, a law firm representing mica homeowners in a ‘class action’ lawsuit at the High Court, and the Department of Housing.

First published in 2018, IS 465 is the standard governing the assessment of dwellings potentially affected by defective concrete blocks, and its revision is of critical interest to many homeowners, engineers, and public agencies.

The revised draft standard acknowledges, for the first time, that pyrrhotite and iron sulphides are a leading risk factor in degrading concrete blocks, and laboratory tests will actively look for their presence when analysing core samples taken from affected buildings.

Read more: details on the revised IS 465

Originally set to conclude on 28 May, the public consultation on this revised standard will remain open until 11 July.

The decision was made in response to what the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) described as ‘constructive and informed engagement’, aligning with its commitment to transparency and quality in the standardisation process.

In an update to homeowners who are part of the High Court action seeking damages from Cassidy Brothers Ltd, Donegal County Council and the NSAI, Coleman Legal said it wrote to the Minister for Housing and the NSAI seeking the extension.

The law firm is encouraging the public to make submissions by the 11 July deadline, and has zeroed in on how the threshold in the draft IS 465 for the presence of the damaging mineral pyrrhotite in concrete blocks differs from EU standards.

The EU standard states that pyrrhotite should not exceed 0.1% of volume of a concrete product, but the draft IS 465 allows 0.3%, or three times the level the legally binding European standard insists upon.

The NSAI acknowledged the urgency of finalising the updated standard, reaffirming that it remains a top priority.
“To date, we have received almost 400 comments on the draft IS 465,” the NSAI said in a statement. “We recognise the importance of giving all stakeholders adequate time to contribute and ensuring their voices are heard.”
In a bid to prevent delays, NSAI will now begin reviewing existing submissions in parallel with the extended consultation period.

While this approach marks a slight departure from standard practice, the authority said it was a necessary step to “deliver the revised standard in the shortest amount of time possible” without compromising quality.
The NSAI also thanked those who have already provided feedback, noting their input will play a vital role in shaping the final standard.

Observations on the revised IS 465 can be made here