The gloves are off in the supermarket planning wars involving the UK’s Tesco and German discounter Lidl.

A legal challenge to a planned Apple data centre in Galway is to be fast-tracked by the big business division of the High Court.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe are to be grilled by furious ministers over the Garda deal, which could cause chaos for the budgets of other departments.

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The Government is to be asked to prevent the further building of solar energy farms in County Cork until proper guidelines are put in place for their design and operation.

Opponents of a north/south electricity interconnector which would see 300 pylons 15m high being built across counties Meath, Cavan and Monaghan are likely to seek a judicial review of the planning decision.

Planning for solar farms is being “kept under review”, the minister with responsibility for planning Simon Coveney has said, amid growing concerns about the lack of national guidelines.

US billionaire John Malone has secured planning permission for a major extension to his Hilton hotel at Charlemont Place at Grand Canal in Dublin after An Bord Pleanála gave the go-ahead for a seven-storey, 97-bedroom extension.

No specific guidelines are available for solar energy farms in Irish planning but applications are being lodged in an abundance along Kerry, Cork and the west coast.

Neil Jordan has lost his long running planning battle with his next-door neighbour, Robin Power, over an 11m sq bathing shelter.

A resident has lodged an appeal against Dublin City Council’s approval for British pub chain JD Wetherspoon’s plan for a new superpub on Camden Street; telling Bord Pleanála permission would represent “an unwelcome milestone”.

Parents awaiting the building of a new primary school in Kanturk can breathe a sigh of relief after it was confirmed a planning condition laid down by An Bord Pleanála can be met by Cork County Council.

A disagreement has emerged between Dromoland Castle and Lord Inchiquin, the direct descendant of Brian Boru, over plans to construct a new water source to serve the 180-year-old castle.