Scenic area planning warning

LOCAL authorities could be forced to pay millions of euro in compensation if they refuse planning permission to protect the natural beauty of an area, according to the Irish Rural Dwellers Association.

The IRDA believes county councils are facing massive compensation claims unless they can defend planning decisions in the courts. The lobby group has discovered a report carried out for Clare County Council by CAAS Environmental Services that warned about this legal minefield.

The expert independent report said: “It is inconceivable that designations on the grounds of natural beauty alone could be legally justified.” The council commissioned the report in 1997 when planners and councillors were reviewing the county’s development plan. IRDA spokesperson Jim Connolly says the council could soon be hit with a wave of court actions.