Sinn Féin calls for review of Bord Pleanála's appointment process

Move follows decision by planning board's deputy chair Paul Hyde to step back from his role amid allegations of conflict of interest

Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin: 'There have been growing concerns with controversial decisions of the board and mounting legal losses in a string of judicial reviews which are based on, in my view, poor planning decisions.' Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Sinn Féin has called for a review on how members are appointed to An Bord Pleanála after the deputy chair stepped back from his role amid ongoing controversy.

While two separate probes into the decisions of Paul Hyde are ongoing, the deputy chair had continued to sign off on planning applications in recent weeks, despite a series of allegations regarding his conduct in the role.

Mr Hyde’s prior decisions, together with his historical asset declarations, are currently the subject of an audit within An Bord Pleanála. The audit commenced in mid-April in the context of a number of claims which have been made against him in recent weeks concerning potential conflicts of interest.

Separately, his decisions are also subject to a probe by senior counsel Remy Farrell on behalf of the Department of Housing.

An Bord Pleanála on Monday evening said: “In the context of these ongoing processes, Mr Paul Hyde has agreed with the chairperson to absent himself from his duties as deputy chairperson for the time being, on a strictly without-prejudice basis”.

“An Bord Pleanála considers that it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at present,” a spokesperson added.

Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin noted that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien had promised to publish the audit and make it available to opposition spokespeople.

“Obviously, events have moved on since that exchange with Minister O'Brien on Thursday with the latest set of revelations on Friday, and then the deputy chair of the board stepping back from his work while the board's audit and the government's in-house review and report are ongoing,” Mr Ó Broin said.

“What I would say to Minister O'Brien is that the senior council report has to take into account all of the allegations that are currently in the public domain, including the latest and very significant allegations from last Friday."

That report has to be published and published quickly, but crucially it needs to lead to the reform of An Bord Pleanála."

Mr Ó Broin said: “There have been growing concerns with controversial decisions of the board and mounting legal losses in a string of judicial reviews which are based on, in my view, poor planning decisions. The amount of financial losses the board have incurred has increased four to five fold in the last number of years.

“One of the crucial recommendations of the 2016 Department of Housing review of the board was that all board members should be appointed by the appointment service and is something that the minister now needs to incorporate into his ongoing review of the Planning Development Act.

“When the legislation on the other side of that review comes out later this year, we need to see a change to how the board members are appointed so that we can start the business of rebuilding public confidence in the board.” 

Mr Ó Broin noted the Mulcahy report into allegations of planning irregularities in Donegal has not yet been published, despite the fact it has been with three separate ministers.