Whistleblower urges probe into alleged planning corruption

A former senior county council planner turned whistleblower has called on the Department of the Environment to stop stalling on plans for a probe into alleged planning corruption.

Gerard Convie, a former senior official with Donegal County Council, has compiled a dossier of 20 sample cases he says are reflective of a much wider problem in the county.

They include the case of a petrol station built without planning permission and left to operate for more than a decade without action being taken against it despite repeatedly being refused retention.

Mr Convie’s files also include numerous examples of houses being allowed to be built in scenic locations in contravention of regulations protecting areas of natural beauty.

His dossier prompted Green Party environment minister John Gormley to launch a review in 2010, but that process was cut short when the Government changed in 2011 and a subsequent report produced in 2012 concluded there was no evidence of irregularity and questioned Mr Convie’s motives.

Mr Convie challenged the findings of that report in the High Court and the Department of the Environment last summer agreed to withdraw the report, overturn the findings, apologise to Mr Convie and compensate him.

The Department of the Environment said at the time it would consult the attorney general on how best to proceed with a probe into the cases. The department said yesterday it was still awaiting that advice.

But Mr Convie accused the department of stalling. He said there were ample powers under Section 255 of the 2000 Planning and Development Act to allow the minister appoint an independent person or body to inquire into evidence of impropriety.

He called yesterday for a senior barrister to be appointed to the task without further delay. His call was backed by publisher and former chairman of An Taisce, Michael Smith; Transparency International Ireland, representatives of the Green Party and Sinn Féin, and An Taisce.

Mr Convie, who served 24 years in Donegal, successfully challenged in court an attempt by the county council to sack him — a move he says was prompted by the fact he asked awkward questions. He left voluntarily in 2007 and now practises as a private planning consultant in Co Donegal.

He said: “This is the very last place that I want to be. To begin with, I hate that Donegal is being put in the spotlight again and for very wrong reasons where people in authority have abused that authority.

“Having said that, the people of Donegal deserve to know the truth.

“They deserve to know what has been going on in planning in the county and who has been responsible for it.”