A county council at the centre of controversy over planning hired helicopters to help it monitor one-off housing growth.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show that Kerry County Council hired helicopters on two occasions in a seven-month period, at a total cost of just over €5,600.
In November 2003 council officials, accompanied by officials from the Department of the Environment, took to the air to oversee the growth and pattern of one-off rural housing and to assess policies in the light of the Government's National Spatial Strategy.
According to documents released under the FOI request, "the site visit was arranged to give the Department and council officials an overall view of current development in rural areas, identify typically perceived strucutrally weak rural areas and areas under strong urban influence and the implications of holiday homes on the landscape".
The helicopter was hired at a cost of €3,600 at a time of "considerable debate" in the county over rural planning. This was during the adoption of the new county development plan, which also coincided with the Department of the Environment's formulation of policy on sustainable rural housing, the documents say.
A helicopter was also hired last June to assess compliance by quarries with the planning Acts. Six quarries, which either had planning issues to be addressed or were the subject of complaint from the public, were over-flown and photographed from the air.
The quarries included some at scenic areas such as Moll's Gap, Killarney. The others were at Sheens/Doocarrigbeg near Killarney; at Letter Kenmare; at Derrylough Tuosist; at Caheragh near Castleisland. The sixth quarry assessed from the air was at Ballinruddery, Listowel.
Mr Charlie O'Sullivan, senior executive officer, planning, said levels of activity in quarries were better assessed from the air.
"The planning authority has instigated enforcement proceedings and in some cases legal proceedings against the owners/ operators of the quarries," the documents said.
The council was considering the use of satellite photography in planning issues in the future, Mr O'Sullivan said.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment said yesterday that officials from its Department were on a "routine planning visit" to the council and the full cost of the helicopter had been met by Kerry County Council.
It was the council who suggested and instigated the helicopter tour.