Council members may sue An Taisce chief

MEMBERS of Kerry County Council are considering suing the chief executive of An Taisce after he accused them of putting the interests of an individual landowner before the public interest.

The local authority has demanded an apology from Michael Smith after he made the comments in a letter to County Manager Martin Nolan.

The row arises from a decision by the council to grant planning permission to Kerry Die Products for a 4.5m euro development, including a technology park, financial services centres and other buildings at Fossa, Killarney. Kerry Die managing director Liam O’Connor claimed he could be forced to close his 33-job operation if he did not get planning for an extension. The project would also create 100 jobs.