Fresh twist in Sky Garden saga

Tensions between Cork City Council and Diarmuid Gavin over the controversial Sky Garden are simmering towards boiling point, with the celebrity gardener’s studio taking the unprecedented step of writing to all city councillors about their difficulties with officials at City Hall.

The Sky Garden, sponsored by Cork City Council and Failte Ireland, took gold at the Chelsea Flower Show this year, and was to have been a showpiece of the overall redevelopment of Mardyke Gardens in Cork.

However, the project has been dogged by controversy, due to a reported dispute between Diarmuid Gavin and Cork City Council over costs.

The latest twist in the ongoing saga comes in a letter posted to all councillors this week, in which Helen Jones, Studio Manager of Diarmuid Gavin Designs, accuses the council executive of failing to have provided a contract for the project after 12 months, and of not responding to a number of requests for a meeting with the councillors.

The letter also expresses “worry” that the legal department of Cork City Council had asked them recently to agree not to release certain documentation under the Freedom of Information Act.

Ms Jones refused to comment further yesterday afternoon, but confirmed that she had indeed sent the letter to councillors. The letter also stresses that Diarmuid Gavin Designs have refrained from dealing with this situation through the media.

There was a mixed reaction to the letter among the councillors, with Lord Mayor Terry Shannon branding the correspondence “inappropriate”.

“It’s an extraordinary letter. If they have a beef with the executive, then why involve the councillors in this? I’m not sure what their issue is. I’m honestly not sure what they want,” he said.

“Sky Garden has been raised before by some councillors, but my view on it is, if Fáilte Ireland want to invest over a million euro in Cork, then why would we stand by and watch them invest anywhere else?” the Mayor asked.

Sinn Fein’s Cllr Chris O’Leary said he was “deeply concerned” at the claims in the letter. He called on the City Manager to make a full statement on the matter and said he would himself try to raise the issue at next Monday’s meeting of the City Council.