Good man, Pat the Cope - Village Magazine

April 2017 1 3

FTER FIANNA Fáil TD and former min-

ister Pat The Cope Gallagher lobbied

for developer Anthony McCourt, in

2015 Donegal County Council

granted permission for a develop

ment it had refused 14 months previously,

despite its still being contrary to the County

Development Plan.

On the day that planning permission was

granted, 35 other permissions were also

granted. 34 were signed by Senior Planner,

Eunan Quinn. Anthony McCourt’s grant of per-

mission was signed by Liam Ward, Director of

Services.

The ﬁrst application was submitted in August

2015 for permission for an extension to a dwell

ing at Drumnaraw, Creeslough.

Two months later, the Council refused. The

reasons were clear: “The subject site directly

adjoins the N56 National Route and there are no

buildings on the same side of the road and in the

immediate vicinity of the subject dwelling. It is a

policy of the County Development Plan 2012-

2018 (as varied) to “require that all new

development proposed adjacent to existing and

planned National Primary roads is set back 50m

from outside edge of running carriageway unless

existing buildings have formed an established

building line in which case the new buildings

may follow the established building line. On the

basis that the proposed front extension and the

proposed front porch will be located within 13m

and 17m respectively of the running carriageway

of the N56 National Route and there is no estab-

lished building line forward of the existing front

elevation of the subject dwelling at this location

it is considered that to permit the proposed

development would materially contravene the

abovementioned Policy”.

Matters rested until the planning application

was resubmitted in the week before Christmas

2016.

Executive Planner John McFeely recommended

rejection again. He wrote: “The subject

application is a repeat application and as such

the material question is whether or not there has

been a material change in the proposed develop-

ment”. The report notes an email from Senior

Planner Eunan Quinn to Gallagher, in which

Quinn gave advice which he held would make the

development compliant.

However, McFeely wrote that even with the

proposed changes the development was still

contrary to the County Development Plan, and

that the amended plans were not, anyway, in

accordance with Quinn’s advice.

So he recommended refusal on grounds of

safeguarding the carrying capacity of National

Roads and other strategic routes, ensuring a set-

back of 50m from the outside edge of the running

carriageway of National Primary roads, of 25m on

a Regional Road and of 15m on a Country Road:

“Having regard to the fact there is a building set

back of only 13m from the nearside road edge…

to permit the proposed development would be

contrary to the County Development Plan...”.

New plans were submitted, still breaching the

County Development Plan by not being sufﬁ-

ciently set back from the road. The following day,

permission was granted.

The notiﬁcation of ﬁnal grant imposed one

condition: “The external ﬁnish of the proposed

extension shall match that of the existing build

ing”. It did not engage with any of the issues

raised by McFeely.

There are no allegations that there was any

form of corruption involved in the decision. How-

ever, it is the latest in a long series of

questionable planning decisions in the County.

Many, but by no means all, have been linked to

the inﬂuence of senior ﬁgures in Fianna Fáil.

Donegal came bottom of a league table of

local authorities drawn up by heritage body An

Taisce as part of a ‘Review of Ireland's Planning

System' in 2012.

Dumping in Ireland’s most

beautiful park

A complaint has been made to the Environmental

Protection Agency and Donegal County Council

about illegal dumping at Glenveagh National

Park. The park is home to the largest herd of red

deer in Ireland and the once extinct golden eagle

was reintroduced into the park in 2000. The Irish

Wildlife Trust (IWF) said that in early April build-

er’s rubble and what is believed to be asbestos

were found in two locations in the park. The IWF

said it is also concerned about illegal mechani

cal turf extraction in the park. “It is hard to

exaggerate the damage that is being done to pro-

tected habitats and one of Donegal’s most

important tourist attractions”, the IWF said,

adding that “serious questions need to be asked

of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and

park management”.

The IWT revealed similar activities including

illegal dumping and turf-extraction inside the

national park three years ago.

Courtcase loons

Meanwhile senior counsel Rory Mulcahy has

concluded his interviews as part of the Depart-

ment of the Environment’s review of planning in

Donegal. The review was instigated after former

senior planner, Gerard Convie alleged dodgy

practice in the planning department extending

all the way up to former County Manager Michael

McLoone. Counsel for McLoone will be applying

shortly in the High Court in Dublin for a date for

hearing of his defamation case against Village

magazine editor, who repeated the allegations

in an article in 2015.

Donegal development

permitted after

political lobbying

by Anton McCabe

Good man,

Pat the Cope

New plans were submitted, still breaching the County

Development Plan by not being sufﬁciently set back from the

road. The following day, permission was granted.

Illegal dumping in Glenveagh National Park