A Kilkenny Corporation official, who was on a Bank of Ireland panel of valuers, personally dealt with planning applications submitted by the bank during the same period.
Mr Joe Gannon, as senior executive engineer, deals with all the planning applications made to the authority. He recommended nine applications by the bank for approval between 1986 and 1996, The Irish Times has established.
During this period, Mr Gannon was on a list of valuers the bank provided to customers seeking a mortgage. The client would choose from the panel and pay the valuer concerned.
The bank confirmed the arrangement last week but said local management did not consider there was a conflict of interest between Mr Gannon's valuation work and his role with the local authority.
As the corporation's most senior planning official, Mr Gannon issued recommendations on a variety of planning applications submitted by the bank. These ranged from a controversial change to the facade of the bank's branch in Parliament Street in Kilkenny to the erection of signs and the installation of cash-dispensers.
A bank spokesman said yesterday it was "total nonsense" to suggest there was any connection between Mr Gannon's membership of its panel of valuers and his role in dealing with its planning applications.
The spokesman said all such applications were submitted by staff at the bank's head office, who would not have been aware of Mr Gannon's arrangement with local management in Kilkenny. "They wouldn't have known Joe Gannon from a bucket," he said.
Planning files held by Kilkenny Corporation show that his recommendation in the case of each application submitted by the bank was subsequently confirmed by the county manager.
The only application to cause controversy involved changes to the facade of the bank's Parliament Street branch in 1994.
A number of city councillors argued that while the proposal was an improvement on the existing structure, it still fell short of what was required in such a prominent location. No objections were lodged, however, and the proposal was approved with minor conditions.
Mr Gannon recommended, for example, that natural roof slates be used and that the windows be made of timber. He dealt with two bank applications in 1986, two in 1992, one each in 1993, 1994 and 1995, and two in 1996.
In each case he recommended approval, usually with standard conditions attached. He did recommend that permission be refused for the lighting proposed in one of the 1992 applications.
Two of the proposals involved extensions to branches at Parliament Street and The Parade. The bank also engaged in written correspondence with Mr Gannon in relation to a number of its applications.
The exact dates between which Mr Gannon was on the bank's valuation panel have not been established, but the bank said last week he left the panel at least four years ago and possibly up to seven years ago.
Mr Gannon last night declined to comment.
Kilkenny County Council confirmed last week that it had been made aware some years ago of an arrangement between a corporation officer and a financial institution, whereby the officer was valuing property.
"Because of the nature of the matter, the county manager and the county engineer decided to interview the officer. The officer confirmed the arrangement," the council said in a statement.
"The officer was informed that this practice was unacceptable and he undertook to rectify the matter. This was later confirmed by the financial institution. As the matter did not involve the officer's official duties or planning matters, and the officer undertook not to undertake any work for any financial institution in the future, the manager considered that this was a satisfactory resolution."
