Dublin City Council has been urged to apply for an injunction to prevent the owner of a city park from turning it into a commercial car park.
Residents of Dartmouth Square in south Dublin yesterday awoke to find that Noel O'Gara, who claims ownership of the park in the middle of the square, had opened its gates and was offering all day parking at €10 per car.
He had already moved half a dozen cars into the park with the help of friends.
Residents blocked the entrance by standing in front of it and prevented motorists from taking up the offer.
A number of politicians attended the blockade including Green Party TD John Gormley and local Fianna Fáil representative Chris Andrews.
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell also attended in the afternoon and urged Dublin City Council to seek an injunction to prevent Mr O'Gara from operating a car park.
The park is currently the subject of a compulsory purchase order and the council is awaiting a decision by An Bord Pleanála.
Mr McDowell said that if the council were granted a compulsory purchase order it should take immediate possession of the park and argue later with Mr O'Gara about its value.
"This is a stunt to put pressure on the council to pay him an exorbitant sum of money," Mr McDowell said.
He refused to speak directly to Mr O'Gara, and walked away when approached by him, saying "take your hand off me, Mr O'Gara".
Mr McDowell also said the council had a lot of explaining to do in relation to how it had failed to regularise the situation in relation to the park.
The council bought a lease for the park, originally granted to the Loreto nuns by the Darley family, in the late 1980s.
It paid £100 a year to use it until the lease expired in 1997 and afterwards continued to maintain the park.
According to Mr O'Gara, he purchased the park from Patrick Darley, whose family had owned the land, "for a bargain price under £10,000" after Dublin City Council failed to reach an agreement with Mr Darley.
Speaking last night, Mr O'Gara continued to claim that he did not need planning permission to "invite" cars to park on his land.
He said he would reopen for business this morning.
"I have a constitutional right to do what I please with my land," he said.
"If they take me to court I'll defend it."
The protest became heated yesterday morning when one resident attempted to park her car in front of the entrance. Mr O'Gara stood in front of her car and stopped her from moving into the parking space.
Gardaí were later called. At one point Green Party TD John Gormley parked his bicycle directly in front of the entrance.
A spokesman for Dublin City Council said last night that a file had been prepared on the case for its legal department.
He said the council was considering taking out an injunction this morning.
Residents meanwhile have organised a roster to continue their blockade of the park gates today "until Mr O'Gara is stopped".
