The Minister for Justice will have to submit a planning application for retention of the holiday home he has built at Carrandoe, near Roosky, Co Roscommon, the local authority has ruled.
Mr McDowell's holiday home at Lavagh townland, near Rooskey, Roscommon. Photo: Sky News
In a statement, Roscommon County Council said that on August 13th it had received an application for the extension of the five-year life of the planning permission for a further three months in order to allow the house to be completed by November 30th.
However, the council said that due to the fact that the house, which is now substantially complete, is different in some respects to the house plan originally permitted, the council decided it could not grant the time extension.
The differences include the external finish and the floor levels of the house, which are some two metres lower than those originally permitted.
It wrote to the minister's agent to advise that an application for retention of the house should be submitted "as is the normal procedure in circumstances such as this".
The statement, issued by County Manager Mr John Tiernan, did not specifically name the minister or his agent, but referred to the project by its planning reference.
Mr McDowell said last night he had no knowledge of correspondence to the Sligo-based engineers he engaged to prepare the plans for the house.
Documents published by Sky News Irelandshow that the council found the house currently being built to be "significantly different" from that for which planning permission was granted.
Fine Gael said the issue was a "major embarrassment" for the minister.