An Bord Pleanála inspectors raised official concerns about being asked to change reports
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Inspectors at An Bord Pleanála have officially raised concerns about being asked to change their reports by members of the board.
The concerns were expressed at an industrial relations meeting between management, inspectors representatives and the trade union Forsa on 24 March. At the meeting, an inspectors’ representative said that colleagues had been asked on a number of occasions to change the recommendations in their reports.
Informed sources say that such concerns have never been raised before in the history of the planning board. The inspectors’ role is to compile evidence-based reports for planning appeals and some planning applications, make a recommendation and present it to the board.
Any request from board members for changes would be highly irregular as the board members are effectively using the reports to inform their judgment on whether to grant an appeal or planning application. Board members are not obliged to accept the inspector’s recommendation but reasons are usually given for not doing so.
In recent weeks, the and The Ditch website have reported on cases where inspectors’ reports were changed but the concerns expressed at the industrial relations meeting indicates that not just changes but recommendations are also being requested.
The concerns also suggest that the practice is more widespread than has already been exposed.
A spokesperson for An Bord Pleanala confirmed that inspectors had voiced concerns. “These concerns are currently being assessed by An Bord Pleanála and it is envisaged there will be further discussions with Forsa on this issue,” the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Forsa said they are hoping for further discussions on the matter next week. “No specific cases were referenced but the concerns were that they would have been asked to change recommendations by board members.”
The latest revelations are likely to increase pressure on the Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien, to widen an ongoing investigation into practices at the board. Mr O’Brien appointed senior counsel, Remy Farrell, to conduct a review of decisions made by deputy chairperson Paul Hyde following allegations that he had on a number of occasions failed to declare a conflict of interest.
Mr Hyde has stepped aside while the investigation is being conducted. The board itself is reviewing up to 200 cases to check whether any similar issues have arisen.
There are about 60 inspectors at work in An Bord Pleanála, nearly equally divided into senior and junior rank. According to sources within ABP, morale is low as a result of the controversy in which the board has been engulfed since the allegations about Mr Hyde first surfaced.