South Dublin councillors vote no confidence in An Bord Pleanala

South Dublin councillors have voted no confidence in An Bord Pleanala after controversy at the planning authority in recent months.

At Monday's council meeting, Cllr Liam Sinclair of An Rabharta Glas (Green Left) brought forward the motion, receiving support from a majority of his fellow councillors. In early July, deputy chair of An Bord Pleanala Paul Hyde resigned from the position.

It comes after last month, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien referred a report concerning alleged conflicts of interest at An Bord Pleanala to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) is also to launch another review into the planning authority, with the review to be split into two separate sections, with one part set to be completed by 3 October while the second part is to be completed by 30 November.

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During the South Dublin County Council meeting, Cllr Sinclair said that the members of the public are now concerned that they did not receive a fair hearing on planning matters. He said: " With these revelations, anyone who has been engaging with a planning process, either looking for planning themselves, or objecting to planning that somebody else is looking for, now has a reason to think they have not been given a fair hearing."

Cllr Sinclair said that urgent changes are needed at the planning authority. Social Democrats Cllr Carly Bailey added that “more has to be done” to restore the public's confidence in An Bord Pleanala.

The motion of no confidence was seconded by Independent Cllr Francis Timmons. A notice of the motion will now be sent to Taoiseach Michael Martin.

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