Labour warns of conflict of interest in planning

Labour party TD Eamon Gilmore says a shortage of planners is causing a conflict of interest in local authorities. The party’s spokesman on the environment was commenting following yesterday’s suspension of two officials by Roscommon County Council. Regulations state that local authority officials cannot have private interests in their own professional areas. Deputy Gilmore says a huge conflict of interest is creeping into the process and Roscommon might not be only county affected. He says An Bord Pleanala are starting to use private contractors to look at planning applications that are being sent in to them. This, he says, leads to a conflict of interest because private planning consultants are people who are involved themselves in submitting applications on behalf of clients.