Councillor wants to see planning trends examined in monthly meetings

A local councillor has said local representatives, while unable to discuss planning applications in public meetings, must be able to discuss planning trends in an open forum.

Cllr Damien Ryan said he wants to see planning included as an item on the next monthly agenda of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District and criticized councillors inability to discuss planning matters in the open at meetings.

“I would like to see what legal charge would be put before me if I spoke about planning in an open forum,” he said.

“We have to able to discuss planning trends.”

Cllr Ryan asked for statistics to be provided at the next meeting regarding how many plans have been either accepted or refused in the MD since the beginning of the year.

“We need to know what has happened here from January until the end of August. What has happened in one-third of the county for two-thirds of the year,” he said.