McDowell forced to apply for retention of house

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell must apply for the retention of the designer holiday home he has built on the banks of the Shannon near Rooskey, Roscommon County Council insisted yesterday.

Roscommon county manager John Tiernan said yesterday a request that had been made for a three-month extension when permission expired in August was "invalid" on the grounds that the building nearing completion now is significantly different to the one originally approved.

However, one of the companies building the house said yesterday that the issues were so minor that it did not think that an application for retention was necessary. The basis of the council's decision was that the floor levels were some two metres lower than originally approved.