Planning laws not enforced over fear of losing cases

LOCAL authorities are slow to enforce planning laws because they are afraid of losing cases if they end up in the courts, Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly said yesterday.

In her annual report, the State’s watchdog said more than a quarter of all complaints to her office involving local authorities concerned planning matters, mainly enforcement.

She said the number of planning complaints had risen from 64 in 1993 to 185 in 2003.