Local authorities under fire over ‘excessive’ development plan costs

LOCAL authorities have been criticised for imposing steep fees on the public for hard copies of county development master plans.

A Meath councillor has said the €175 fee for a hard copy of the new draft county development plan is “putting it out of the reach of ordinary hard-working families”.

The fee is more than that charged by a number of other local authorities, but pales in comparison to its Dublin neighbour, Fingal County Council, which demands €800 for the full text of its development plan with maps.