Cork County Council seeks legal advice over minister's directive on development plan

The Mayor of County Cork said people in Bantry are “crying out for housing” and a “minister from Mullingar” shouldn’t be interfering in local government decisions

The council now faces having to reverse decisions affecting its future zoning plans for the Fermoy, Carrigtwohill and Bantry areas, unless it goes down the legal route. File picture: Larry Cummins

Cork County Council is to seek legal advice on the possibility of a mounting court action against directives from a junior minister to make changes to the County Development Plan.

The council won two High Court cases against a previous directive from Local Government Minister Peter Burke, acting on the advice of the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR), against the local authority’s plan for the creation of a €100m Kildare Village-type retail centre in Carrigtwohill.