Owner's car park plan for south Dublin square

The owner of Dartmouth Square park in south Dublin, which has been at the centre of controversy since it was shut to the public last January, intends to turn the land into a car park, The Irish Times has learned.

An Bord Pleanála will tomorrow hear from Dublin City Council why it believes that the park in Ranelagh should be returned to public ownership. The council is seeking to compulsorily purchase the park from businessman Noel O'Gara, of Ballinahowen, Athlone, who recently acquired the freehold on the land.

The park came to public attention last January when local residents, who believed it was a public park, found that the gates had been padlocked shut. At the same time, the city council received a letter from Mr O'Gara claiming that he owned the freehold.

Residents removed the chains from the gates, but these were replaced by Mr O'Gara within days.

The council subsequently reopened the park and entered into negotiations with Mr O'Gara on making the space available to the public again.

These talks were unsuccessful and the council elected last February to place a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on the land.

Mr O'Gara said that his company, Marble and Granite Tiles Ltd, had purchased the park late last year "for a bargain price" from Patrick Darley.

He objected to An Bord Pleanála against the CPO last April. His objection necessitates the oral hearing tomorrow.

In his objection, Mr O'Gara submitted that the CPO was "unconstitutional, unjustified and a flagrant abuse of the legal process".

Local residents were already well catered for in terms of public amenities and a car park and creche planned for the space would be of greater benefit to the population of the city, he said.

The park was originally laid out by the Darley estate when Dartmouth Square was being developed in the 1880s.

It fell into decline in last century and was renovated by the council (then Dublin Corporation) in 1987. The council entered into a 10-year lease on the land with the Darley estate, but although it did not renew the lease in 1997, it continued to maintain the park.