ENVIRONMENT Minister Martin Cullen will today publish the Government’s new guidelines on rural one-off housing.

AN Bord Pleanala gave the go-ahead yesterday to the controversial €680 million Meath motorway between Clonee and Kells — despite major objections and a protracted appeals hearing.

THE proposed route of the M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara was chosen after extensive public consultation involving some four thousand people and culminating in a 28-day oral hearing by An Bord Pleanála, the High Court was told yesterday.

THE new Strategic Infrastructure Bill threatens the democratic principles that are the foundation stone of our planning system. It is founded on the principle that the regulation of development is a matter that should normally be settled locally.

ONE of the country's oldest GAA clubs faces serious safety and long-term viability concerns if a planned dual carriageway cuts through its grounds and does not allow it room to expand and grow, a safety expert has warned.

THERE were fresh calls last night to change the country’s oil exploration taxes, which are the lowest in the world.

THE European Commission is investigating a controversial Trim hotel development which was given the go-ahead after then Environment Minister Martin Cullen personally overruled objections from heritage officials.

DOWN near Gobby Strand in Ringaskiddy yesterday, people nervously laughed when they heard Indaver general manager John Ahern say on radio that incinerators don’t harm your health.

HOME to beauty — that’s what’s on offer at the Ross Road, Killarney, this week where four exclusive sites hit the market at €500,000 apiece.

FORMER political lobbyist Frank Dunlop, who has admitted bribing Dublin county councillors, is due to give further evidence to the Mahon tribunal investigating planning corruption early next week.

AN BORD PLEANÁLA paid €4m over two years to outside consultants to tackle a backlog in planning appeals, it emerged yesterday.

TIME will tell whether the feelgood factor in Fianna Fáil ranks translates into a good performance in June’s local and European elections.

AN BORD Pleanála has given the green light for work to begin on the long-awaited Waterford to Kilcullen dual carriageway, despite close to 20 major objections from land and home owners.

MOVES to build a private hospital and to relocate the Enable Ireland services in Cork city took a significant step forward yesterday.

The outcome of the Bord Pleanála decision on the proposed incinerator at Ringaskiddy, which gave approval to Indaver Ireland to proceed with the country’s first toxic waste plant, is a perplexing one.

RESIDENTS welcomed an An Bórd Pleanála decision yesterday to refuse planning permission for a controversial €200 million housing development around a historic Cork home.

PEOPLE power is the only thing that will force big businesses to lower their prices, according to one Meath woman who has already succeeded in getting cheaper grocery prices for her hometown.

THE imprisonment of five Mayo men in the Corrib gas pipeline controversy represents a major public relations disaster for the giant Shell corporation.

REVENUES at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) increased by 12% to €10.7 million last year, the society said yesterday.