Bord Pleanála rulings ‘may be illegal’

A GROUP representing rural householders is to tell an Oireachtas committee tomorrow it believes thousands of decisions made by Bord Pleanála may be illegal.

The Irish Rural Dwellers Association (IRDA) claims the composition of the 11-member board of the planning appeals body does not reflect the wide variety of interests in Irish society as the law suggests it should.

IRDA spokesman Jim Connolly said the Oireachtas Environment Committee should investigate the way the membership was appointed. “If there is a question mark about the appointments, it has the potential to call into question every decision made by the board since 2002,” he said.