Mayor challenged on ‘scenic’ designation

THE mayor of Cork county, Cllr Noel Harrington, claims (September 4) that a Special Scenic Landscape designation would make it easier for people on the Beara peninsula to get planning permission.

Cllr Harrington also states that “under the current policies only local people with a genuine housing need, an appropriate site and a commitment to permanent occupancy would get permission. But under the new proposals anybody with a commitment to permanent occupancy on a suitable site would be entitled to have the restrictions lifted”.

I cannot for the life of me understand how the mayor of Cork county can make such a statement as the segment of the policy he is referring to is totally illegal according to the Law Society of Ireland.