Dublin City councillors have voted to stop Athlone businessman Noel O'Gara from operating a tile "showroom" in Dartmouth Square park in south Dublin.
They voted unanimously last night to prevent Mr O'Gara from running his business from the Ranelagh park, which was the subject of a court injunction last year to stop its use as a car park.
Last weekend Mr O'Gara opened what he called a "portable showroom" for his company Marble and Granite Tiles in the park, which he purchased from the Darley family, who had owned it since it first opened in the 19th century, for less than €11,000 in 2005.
Last year, residents, who believed the park was a public amenity, found that the gates had been padlocked. At the same time the city council received a letter from Mr O'Gara claiming he owned the freehold.
The council subsequently served a compulsory purchase order on the land but has yet to agree a purchase price with Mr O'Gara. Mr O'Gara claims the land is worth about €175 million while the council is understood to be offering €100,000. The matter is likely to be settled through independent arbitration. Fianna Fáil councillor Chris Andrews said Mr O'Gara was a man who had "no regard for the community". PD councillor Wendy Hederman said Mr O'Gara's sole desire was to "extract the maximum from the city coffers".
