Dunnes seeks to pocket €2m for Navan strip

THE BIG WIGS at Dunnes Stores will have been keeping a close eye on the outcome of the Pat Kenny vs Gerry Charlton High Court saga over a patch of land beside their two properties in Dalkey.

The giant retailer has designs on a strip of land too, this time in the centre of Navan where it has just completed a major redevelopment of its foodstore.

Coinciding with this, the local council spent €5 million on creating a public plaza between this store and others and, lo-and-behold, the council has just been hit with a €2 million claim from Dunnes Stores for using space outside the store for a footpath.

Dunnes Stores claim that patch belongs to them and it has filed a claim for compensation against the town council. The issue has not gone down too well with the council some of whom are threatening to organises a boycott of the store.

One councillor described it as "a scurrilous attempt to take €2 million from the local people". Get Margaret on the line quickly!

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times