Green TD for Dublin South East John Gormley is a worried man. He is upset about the so-called temporary car park which is being built on Leinster Lawn at the Merrion Square side of Leinster House. It looks very much like a permanent structure to him, he says, and he should know. He had a similar experience before he left the Mansion House in 1995. On that occasion, he says, a lovely garden at the side was demolished to create an access route for the builders to the car park behind. As Lord Mayor, he went out and stopped them cutting down the trees. It was supposed to be a temporary measure but it is still there. "I have a terrible feeling, from the way they have approached it, that this will be the same. You can see the roots of the trees being exposed." Gormley has discovered that the builders are laying down motorway-strength cement and he has taken the matter up with the Minister in charge, Mar- tin Cullen. He is seeking an assurance in writing that the lawn will be fully restored when the work for the new Oireachtas building is completed in about three years.
"We are setting a wrong example as TDs by building a car park. In Britain they are trying to do something about car use. We should be doing so too but this is the most permanent temporary car park I have ever seen. Leinster Lawn was so lovely, it was a haven of tranquility. It was the official entrance to Leinster House used for state visits."
Deputy Gormley cycles to work from his home in Ringsend each day.