Planning appeal dismissed after bona fides queried
An appeal against planning permission being granted for a new caravan park near the Old Head of Kinsale has been thrown out for not being made by a “bona fide” person.
An Bord Pleanála has dismissed the appeal on the basis that it has been unable to establish if the appellant, Don Hurley with an address at Garrettstown, Co Cork, exists.
Cork County Council had granted planning permission last August for the development of a caravan park with 34 mobile homes on a site at Garrylucas between Garrettstown and Kinsale.
A submission from the “appellant” had claimed the development of a caravan park at the site was not in line with the zoning objective for the area.
He also expressed concern about substandard road access to the proposed caravan park and the capacity of the local sewage system to cater for a large-scale commercial development.
Outlining its decision to dismiss the appeal, the board said it is an important requirement of planning legislation that an appellant provide their name and address.
“This is an important requirement for protecting the integrity of the planning system,” it added.
The board said the developer of the caravan park, Donal Lordan, had raised concerns about whether the appellant was a bona fide person living at the address provided by him.
It said Mr Hurley was offered opportunities in writing and at an oral hearing to address these concerns but had failed to confirm his identity to the satisfaction of the board.
Mr Lordan said An Post had confirmed that a letter sent to Mr Hurley by Cork County Council had been returned as “unknown at this address”, while no person of that name was found on the register of electors in the area.
A local postman also stated he had no knowledge of any Don Hurley living at the address provided.
An Bord Pleanála said it had decided to hold an oral hearing on January 31 to resolve the issue but there was no attendance by Mr Hurley.
