Controversial Castlebar councillor Frank Durcan once again called the planning process in Mayo corrupt, at the September meeting of the Castlebar Electoral Area Committee.
Cllr Durcan had started speaking on the issue of a single planning application that had been withdrawn by applicants, before he hit out at the planning system in Mayo. The councillor told the meeting that he had nothing against the people involved in two other developments that had received planning permission in a similar location to the one he had brought up earlier, but he went on to say, “The planning here is nothing but corrupt. But if any official or person wants to take me to court [over his allegation], I’ve no problem in meeting them there”.
Director of services for Mayo County Council, Seamus Granahan, rejected Cllr Durcan’s allegations and told him, as he had told him at a previous meeting, there was a building across the road [Castlebar Garda Station] where he could make a complaint if he wished, and that any decision made to withdraw any planning application was taken by the applicants and no one else. Cllr Durcan responded later saying: “If I have made any misstep or mistake, report me to the ethics committee. But they won’t because they are afraid of what will come out in the wash”.
