Council dumps Gavin from Sky Garden project

CORK City Council has dispensed with the services of Diarmuid Gavin and is to press ahead with the controversial Sky Garden project with other contractors, the city manager has told councillors.

The move comes less than a week after the celebrity gardener said he was embarrassed to be associated with the €2.3 million venture and described as “grossly irresponsible” plans to spend a further €1.7m revamping the city’s Fitzgerald Park to incorporate his garden.

“I can’t have anything to do with waste of €1.7m,” Mr Gavin said on RTÉ radio. “Morally, I can’t have anything to do with that.”

He claimed he was without a contract and was not paid a cent for the garden, which was to be exhibited in the Chelsea Flower Show before coming to Cork. He also claimed he could not get meetings with Fáilte Ireland or Cork City Council.

In a letter to councillors, city manager Tim Lucey said he had refrained from making a detailed public comment on the matter until now.

“Some of Mr Gavin’s remarks over the weekend were disingenuous as well as being factually incorrect,” Mr Lucey said.

“He sought to denigrate the project and not for the first time, to besmirch the competence and reputation of Cork City Council.”

Mr Lucey said any delay in paying the gardener was not due to an unwillingness on behalf of the local authority but because of Diarmuid Gavin Designs’ failure to provide the tax clearance documentation necessary.

He said the council had to comply with its obligations in relation to public expenditure and that Mr Gavin was “unaccepting of the clear obligations”.

“Perhaps the nadir was reached in this respect when Mr Gavin refused entry to the Chelsea site to city council officials who were assigned, by prior arrangement with his company, to visit the site and to account for public monies,” said Mr Lucey.

He said the timing of Mr Gavin’s remarks were “revelatory” and that he had been paid in full for the Chelsea Garden.

He added that in recent months, the gardener had “remained largely incommunicado” and had declined seven invitations from Cork City Council to meet.

Mr Lucey said: “His comments over last weekend signify the end of our efforts to repair the relationship with Mr Gavin. Given that sums of public monies are involved, Cork City Council will now execute the Chelsea Garden project for Cork without Mr Gavin, along with all the other elements of Mardyke Gardens, including the Victorian Kitchen Garden, the restored fountain and restored bandstand.

“We have absolutely no doubt that the project will attract landscape designers of the highest quality and professional competence who will work in partnership with us to deliver this.”