SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY Council (SDCC) has voted no-confidence in An Bord Pleanála, following on from controversy at the planning authority.

The motion, which was brought forward by Cllr Liam Sinclair of An Rabharta Glas, was agreed, with a majority of SDCC councillors voting in favour.

It comes following weeks of controversy over the planning authority, with deputy chair of the board, Paul Hyde, resigning in early July.

A report into alleged conflicts of interest at An Bord Pleanála was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions by Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien last month, following advice from the Attorney General Paul Gallagher. 

Speaking at the council meeting yesterday, Cllr Sinclair said that the public are now concerned that they did not receive a fair hearing on planning matters.

“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,” said Cllr Sinclair.

He said that changes are needed at the planning authority.

Social Democrats Cllr Carly Bailey said that “more has to be done” to restore confidence in An Bord Pleanála.

The motion was seconded by Independent Cllr Francis Timmons, with a notice of the motion set to be sent to Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

In a statement today, Cllr Sinclair said: “I am happy to have the support of my colleagues in this matter, our job as elected members is to represent the views of our communities and it’s clear that our communities have no faith in the decisions made by An Bórd Pleanála.”

The motion comes weeks after a further review of An Bord Pleanála was announced by the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR).

This review is set to examine both systems and procedures that are used by An Bord Pleanála in its work as the top planning authority.

The review is set to be split into two seperate sections, with one part set to be completed by 3 October while the second part is to be completed by 30 November.

Both Cork City Council and Kerry County Council have passed motions of no confidence in the board in recent months.

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