Cork councillors lash proposed dilution of powers for housing

Darragh O'Brien, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, will be pushed by Cork county councillors to amend proposals to limit councillors' role in land disposal. Picture: Moya Nolan

Cork county councillors have reacted angrily to a section of a proposed Government bill which would remove their power to dispose of council-owned land for housing.

They've already reacted furiously to 'interference' from the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR), which objected to their decision to rezone land for a Kildare Village-type development in Carrigtwohill. The council is in the process of taking a judicial review against the OPR.