Roscommon County Council has refused to extend the duration of planning permission for a holiday home being built for the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, after it emerged that the house under construction is different from that covered by planning permission granted in 1999, writes Arthur Beesley, Political Reporter
Mr McDowell said last night that he had no knowledge of correspondence from the council to the Co Sligo-based engineers engaged to prepare the plans for the house.
But Fine Gael claimed the affair was a "major embarrassment" for the Minister.
Documents published by Sky News Ireland show that the council found that the house being built at Lavagh townland near Rooskey was "significantly different" from that for which planning permission was granted in 1999. The planning permission had lapsed.
The council said the developers were "by their own admission" building a dwelling which was 2.2 metres lower than that for which permission was granted.
In a letter last week to the engineers, Jennings O'Donovan & Partners, the council said: "The question of an extension to the duration of the permission therefore does not arise, as the dwelling under construction does not have the benefit of planning permission."
The letter refers to Ms Niamh Brennan, Mr McDowell's wife, as the applicant for the extension of planning permission. Ms Brennan is professor of management at UCD and academic director of the Institute of Directors' Centre for Corporate Governance at the university.
A Department of Justice spokeswoman said last night that Mr McDowell and his wife had bought a site with planning permission in Co Roscommon.
"They engaged Griffner-Coillte, a consortium in which a semi-State company is a 50 per cent partner, to build the house. They engaged a firm of engineers to prepare the site plan in conformity with the planning permission," she said.
"The Minister has never been notified of any difficulties and has no knowledge of any letter being sent to the engineers from the council earlier this month. The first the Minister heard of it was when he was contacted this evening by Sky News. The Minister will be looking into it as a matter of urgency."
Later, speaking on RTE's Questions & Answers programme, the Minister said he had been assured by Griffner-Coillte that they did not believe the construction was out of line with the planning permission. Any problems would be remedied, he added.