Planning objection fees may be illegal

THE Government will find out later this week if its controversial introduction of fees for people wanting to lodge planning objections is in breach of EU legislation.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) will issue a preliminary ruling on Thursday on whether the standard €20 fee to make submissions to local authorities on planning applications is illegal.

The European Commission is claiming that Ireland has failed to comply with EU directives by only allowing the public “full and effective participation in certain environmental impact assessments” if they first pay a fee.