Losses at Gavin’s companies hit €103k
Mr Gavin, 47, has been embroiled in controversy since last summer arising from plans to locate his award-winning Sky Garden in Cork city’s Fitzgerald Park.
Accounts filed by British-based Diarmuid Gavin Designs Ltd show accumulated losses increased from €96,732 to €103,264 at the end of Dec 2010, with accumulated losses at Diarmuid Gavin Designs Ireland Ltd rose from €60,088 to €65,389.
The figures for the Irish company show the amount owed to creditors increased from €50,564 to €62,216 in the 12 months to the end of Aug 2010.
The company had bank loans totalling €34,641, while the firm’s overdraft totalled €25,636. The board approved the accounts in recent days.
Mr Gavin won the Gold Medal at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show last year for the Sky Garden.
However, last December, Mr Gavin spoke on RTÉ Radio of the financial troubles he faced while constructing the garden before he was eventually paid.
“We did nothing wrong, we couldn’t get paid. I can’t sustain a €500,000 garden at Chelsea.
“Our suppliers had taken out loans to build this garden and people were sleeping on floors wherever they could, but I couldn’t pull out. People were squabbling over our contract and who was responsible for what.”
Mr Gavin said one day he was out of petrol in the Lake District in England having “maxed out our credit cards, used all our funds”, he rang the Cork City Council manager to ask: “Are you gong to pay for my petrol to get me to London to finish this garden? Who’s going to pay the lads’ wages?”
That night, Gavin said, his office contacted him and said funds were going to flow.
Cork City Council has advertised for consultants to oversee the redesign of Fitzgerald Park and the incorporation of the garden as part of its Mardyke Gardens project.
The council says that Diarmuid Gavin Designs is welcome to tender for the project.
Efforts to secure a comment from Mr Gavin were unsuccessful yesterday.
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