Gogarty accused of neglecting building

The demolition of Turvey House, a 17th-century listed building in north county Dublin, did nothing to help the Murphy group develop the lands on which it was located, the tribunal has heard.

Mr Anthony Harris, solicitor, for Mr George Redmond, said the most serious thing that had happened to Turvey was not that it was demolished, but that Mr James Gogarty, who had charge of it for Murphys, had allowed it to fall into rack and ruin.

Turvey was pulled down in controversial circumstances in 1987, almost 20 years after Murphys acquired the house and estate for development purposes. Mr Gogarty has alleged in his affidavit that Mr Redmond, the de facto Dublin county manager at the time, "stuck his neck" out for the company on the demolition of Turvey. Mr Harris pointed out that Mr Gogarty had made no mention of Turvey in his statements to gardai, who were investigating his allegations of planning corruption in 1997.

He also read from the report prepared by two senior architects with Dublin County Council, after they inspected the derelict building in February 1986. The two men said they had "no hesitation" in recommending Turvey's demolition. The building had "no great architectural merit, apart from its antiquity", the report said. The cost of demolition was estimated at £39,300, and that of refurbishment at about £1 million.

Mr Harris said Mr Gogarty had done as little as possible to maintain the house. Wasn't that the most serious "crime"?

"Then why wasn't I charged?" the witness responded angrily, and demanded that Mr Harris retract the allegation that he had committed a crime.

Mr Harris withdrew the remark.

Earlier, Mr Harris read extracts from Mr Redmond's statement which contradict Mr Gogarty's allegation that Mr Redmond was paid money in compensation for not working as a consultant with Murphys on his retirement.

According to Mr Redmond, he suffered a stroke in 1982 and was constantly apprehensive of a second stroke. He turned 60 in 1984 and the question of retirement before reaching 65 was always a possibility. "Having experienced a stroke and having had the good fortune of making some recovery, I had no interest in working after retirement," he said.

Mr Redmond says that in 1987 he was approached by Mr Gogarty, who was worried about the future development potential of the Murphy lands in north Dublin. At a second meeting, Mr Redmond told him the lands were "hopeless", that there were no services for them and that there were long-term plans for roads through them.

Mr Gogarty dismissed this version of events as "gobbledegook".

Before cross-examination started, Mr Justice Flood advised counsel that they must confine their questions to areas which affected their respective clients.