The owner of printing business Reads is seeking a High Court injunction against the landlord of its Dublin city-centre premises in a row over access to the property.

O’Flaherty’s (Nassau St) Limited, trading as Reads, wants the orders against Setanta Centre Unlimited Company, owner of an office building on Nassau Street.

The applicant operates an outlet within the Setanta Campus, south of, but visible and accessible from, Nassau Street. The defendant is redeveloping the building over the next two years at a cost of €150 million.

O ’Flaherty’s claims that, as part of those works, arrangements had been put in place with the defendant to provide a temporary access route for Reads’ customers. It claims the defendant now intends to erect hoarding across that temporary access, rendering the Reads premises completely inaccessible.

O’Flaherty’s claims its business will be destroyed if the defendant is permitted to erect hoarding making the premises completely inaccessible to customers.

The defendant, which is owned and controlled by the family of businessman Larry Goodman, denies the claims and opposes the application.

Plans

O’Flaherty’s, represented by Michéal O’Connell SC and John O’Regan, claims the defendant’s actions amount to breach of its right of way.

It also claims the defendant is trying to make life difficult for it so that its business fails and it can be bought out of its lease prematurely.

It wants an injunction requiring the defendant to remove the obstruction currently blocking access to the retail premises pending the full hearing of the dispute.

Represented by Rossa Fanning SC, the defendant denies any wrongdoing or that it is trying to put the applicant out of business. It says it has tried to accommodate the plaintiff, whom it says has been aware of its plans to redevelop the property since 2018, and says it has put steps in place based on health and safety requirements.

The injunction application, which opened before Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty on Tuesday, continues on Wednesday.