An Bord Pleanála inquiry extended by five weeks
Aside Bord An Role Paul From Deputy Chair Temporarily Hyde As His Stepped Pleanála Has
A much-anticipated review of a number of planning decisions made by the deputy chair of An Bord Pleanála has been extended by five weeks.
Senior counsel Remy Farrell’s review of the decisions of Paul Hyde, a member of An Bord Pleanála since 2014, had been due for delivery to the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien on Thursday.
It’s understood that Mr Farrell requested an extension at the 11 th hour, with that request being acceded to by the minister.
The probe into Mr Hyde’s decision-making is now expected to be delivered on Friday, July 29.
The delay means that it will not be received before the Dáil goes on its summer recess, meaning its findings will not be debated by the Oireachtas until September at the earliest.
Social Democrats housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan described the delay as “not good enough”.
“We raised this in the Dáil with the minister earlier today and he didn’t give an update,” he said.
“We want clarity that all the allegations in the public domain will be properly investigated, and we simply don’t know that yet.”
Mr O’Callaghan called on the minister to make a statement on the matter in the Dáil and to take questions.
“It’s simply not good enough that this won’t be debated until September,” he said.
Mr Farrell’s investigation was first announced by the minister on April 27, and was initially defined as being concerned with three individual planning decisions taken by Mr Hyde, and a judgement regarding his personal financial circumstances with possible creditors.
It has since emerged that Mr Hyde continued to carry out his duties at the planning authority for a further week following that announcement.
He stepped aside from his role temporarily and “without prejudice” on May 9, and currently is without access to his office or files.
It has since emerged that Mr Farrell’s investigation has been widened somewhat, something opposition politicians in the Dáil had repeatedly called for given the ongoing revelations.
The review will now incorporate a raft of decisions on telecommunications masts around the country, after the revealed that Mr Hyde had overruled his own planning inspectors in granting planning permission for such masts in 31 out of 36 cases since September 2020.
The decisions taken by Mr Hyde were first reported upon by The Ditch website in early April which revealed that the An Bord Pleanála deputy chair had voted against a strategic housing development in Cork City located 50m from a building which he part-owned – an asset which had not been declared to An Bord Pleanála itself.
Mr Hyde subsequently claimed that the building did not need to be declared as the company which owns it has ceased trading.