The Local Government Ombudsman received the complaint from Communities for Sustainable Development after documents from the public planning file relating to the Beacon Medical co-location were withheld from CSD representatives.

CSD spokesperson Mick Murphy was therefore unable to attain these records. However, on written complaint to the Director of Planning, the CSD were supplied with the files along with the agenda for one of the pre-planning meetings. As a result of the delay, the CSD say ‘our scope for making a comprehensive submission on this major planning application has been severely restricted’.

In a letter to the Local Government Ombudsman Murphy said, “We wish to make it clear that the Director of Services, Planning and Development, Mr Kevin Terry has always acted in a totally professional manner in his dealings with CSD, as have Cork City Council planning staff that attend the public counter. Our complaint is with city management and what we see as a total disregard for residents rights when it comes to planning matters”.

Speaking to the Cork Independent, Mr Murphy said, “If ‘formal’ pre-planning meetings require the text to be etched on one of the Dead Sea scrolls, countersigned by God, delivered by carrier pigeon while being filmed by RTE TV and narrated by Sir Richard Attenborough then we will accept that the files relating to the CUH co-location project were ‘informal’, but as the Director of Planning has supplied the files to CSD following a registered letter of complaint on February 4, and an attached email relating to the agenda for one of the pre-planning meetings suggest otherwise, we dispute the assertion of Cork City Council, hence our formal complaint to the Ombudsman”.

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