As can be seen in Chapter 19 of my story, I received this letter from Down District Council's Chief Administrative/Finance Officer dated August 22nd 1986:

"At the request of Fr. Hamill I have made arrangements for you to meet Councillor Kane; Messrs. Clarke Acting Chief Building Control Officer; Milligan, District Building Control Officer and Jones, Chief Environmental Health Officer, at a meeting in the Committee Room, Down District Council, 24 Strangford Road, Downpatrick, on Wednesday, 27th August 1986 at 2.30 pm. The purpose of the meeting is to outline the Council's position in relation to the alleged problem at 56 Carlisle Park, Ballynahinch."

This meeting was specified by Down District Councillors in June 17th 1985 and now after fourteen and a half months it was to be held. On my side at this meeting I had my wife Gemma, Leo Spence, Jimmy McMullan and Presbyterian Minister the Rev. Cecil Adams. Patrick Jennings was also in attendance but I had not made up my mind exactly where he stood such was his involvement in parish matters. The councillor who was required to attend did not come.

The above meeting ended with a promise from the Council representatives that a letter would be issued by the Council on their position regarding the use of Terralux blocks in dwelling houses. The following letter dated November 4th 1986 was written by Mr. W. McCord Acting Chief Building Control Officer stating the Council's position having been delayed until Councillors agreed with its content. I retype this letter below for the purpose of clarity and also to make my comments/links.

I now retype the above letter here with my comments in red text: [I should state here that the British Standards Institute told me that they had never heard of nor tested Terelux blocks]

Comments and Comparisons of the standards specified for wall components in the Carlisle Park Development, Ballynahinch.

The blocks were dimensioned length 327 mm. Crushing strength is stated on Trade Literature as being in accordance with B.S. 3921. [That information is correct, but Mr. McCord neglected to add that a terralux block is not solid but is a shell with a thickness of approximately 12mm.] There is no reference in the job file to the substitution, by the developer, of Terralux blocks for that which could be said to have been by inference the original specification of concrete blocks. [According to this statement the original material specified for all internal walls was concrete blocks which would have been fine. I believe that I did read this information in the specification during the few minutes I was given to see that specification at the Council H.Q. So the developer changed the material without noting it in the job file.] It is assumed, however, that the use of Terralux would have been viewed as being quite normal and acceptable by those charged with judgement, being The council, The Department of Housing (Subsidy Branch) and the N.H.B.C. [Mr. McCord did not make a judgement here despite being the Chief (Acting) Building Control Officer.]

There is widespread evidence of the acceptability of the blocks which were used by various Housing Authorities not the least of which was the former Northern Ireland Housing Trust. [Widespread evidence of an item's use does not prove that its use is acceptable, correct or legal. It seems that Mr. McGrillen has reading Mr. McCord's letter.]

The Trade literature refers to the compliance [of what?] with B.S.3921 which was the standard in vogue at the time of supply for the Carlisle Park Development and the blocks were originally constructed to B.S.1190-1951. [This is nonsense. Terralux blocks were manufactured at Killough Brickworks and were designed to be used between two layers of reinforced concrete in order to sound-proof one floor from another in multi-storied buildings.]

If concrete blocks (as defined by dimension with the B.S.) had been used [but they were not used]the relevant standard at the time of approval would have been B.S.2028.

W. McCord
Acting Chief Building Control Officer

4th November 1986.

Two years earlier at the end of 1984, the, then, Chief Building Control Officer, Mr. George Sampson, was dismissed from his high post. At that time I was approximately eight years into my campaign and had made quite an impression of many local people. Nevertheless, Mr. Sampson was never charged with any crime regarding this fraud.