Dublin Diocese breakthrough offer in garden dispute is hailed

By Maurice Garvey

A DISPUTE over land ownership at Balgaddy Community Garden improved this week, with Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin welcoming a “breakthrough.”

The Dublin Diocese have made a proposal to South Dublin County Council, which Ó Broin believes will “resolve the dispute.”

Deputy Ó Broin said: “The dispute has been ongoing for over a year and caused great anxiety and anger in the local community. Sinn Féin, along with others, have been working both formally though the council and informally with others to try and resolve this.

“It has always been our view that a solution could be found to allow the garden to continue in its current location, without preventing future development of the Bush Centre.”

Deputy Ó Broin continued: “Earlier this year, having requested a formal legal opinion from the council, I proposed they write to the St Laurence O’Toole Trust seeing if they were willing to reach an agreement.”

The proposal involves a new Section 183 land disposal, providing Dublin Diocese legal title to the land – currently used for car parking – whilst leaving the community garden land in council ownership.

Any future development of the Bush Centre would take place on the site where the centre is currently located.

Deputy Ó Broin said this “represents a significant gain for the local community” and believes the council should waive an “original fee from the 1997 land disposal” of €18k.

“The proposal represents a victory for common sense and will go a long way to building the strained relationships between the parish and the local community,” he said.

Ó Broin commended the Dublin Diocese for their work behind the scenes, and urges the council and councillors to support the proposal.

He also called for the council to enter into an agreement with Balgaddy Community Garden to secure and protect the project.