Planning review is criticised as 'whitewash'

A REVIEW of complaints regarding alleged planning irregularities in seven local authority areas by the Department of Environment has found no evidence of corruption or wrongdoing by officials.

The report was yesterday criticised as a “whitewash” by Opposition parties who claimed it was an attempt to cover up bad planning decisions. The report found deficiencies including a failure to correctly interpret aspects of planning law and a lack of transparency over decisions by planning authorities.

The review followed an announcement in 2010 by previous minister for the environment John Gormley that he would appoint independent planning experts to examine how planning laws were being implemented. The local authorities at the centre of the inquiry included councils in Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Meath, Galway and Donegal. This independent review was later downgraded to an internal department review by minister for planning, Willie Penrose, who resigned last year.

Yesterday’s report recommended 12 steps to tackle weaknesses in the planning system, including legislative changes and policy reforms. Minister of State with responsibility for planning Jan O’Sullivan said the findings vindicated Mr Penrose’s decision not to “rush headlong into appointing seven external planning consultants to embark on costly, open-ended inquiries”.

However, John Gormley described the report as a whitewash, while Green Party planning spokesman Tom Kivlehan said it beggared belief that all seven authorities were “squeaky clean”. “We will never know what the real stories were in these and other councils because Fine Gael and Labour are in control of both local and central government,” he said.

Ms O’Sullivan said an independent planning expert would be appointed shortly to examine any other issues raised by the review.

An Taisce said this proposal fell “far short from the appointment of an independent planning regulator as called for by the Mahon tribunal” to oversee the planning system. “Drawing up improved ‘guidelines’ is not enough. Reform of the planning system needs legislation and independent regulation.”