Two brothers who were the subject of an RTÉ Investigates documentary over their serial objections to residential and commercial developments have lost an appeal against the construction of 74 new homes in Cork.
An Bord Pleanála has upheld the decision of Cork County Council to grant planning permission for the development of 66 houses and eight apartments and a creche at Bishop’s Island, Watergrasshill, Co Cork.
The board rejected an appeal against the council’s ruling issued in November 2022 by An Lucht Inbhuanaithe, a self-styled environmental NGO, in favour of the development of the third phase of the Orchard housing estate in Watergrasshill by Vincentia Investments run by businessman, David Hogan.
An Lucht Inbhuanaithe (The Sustainable People) is operated by brothers, Michael and John Callaghan who live in Mulranny, Co Mayo and Kells, Co Meath respectively.
However, the organisation has lodged appeals against housing and commercial developments in many parts of the country.
An Lucht Inbhunaithe, which used Micheal Callaghan’s address, claimed the wastewater treatment plant in Watergrasshill was non-compliant with emission limit values and could not handle additional loading from the proposed new housing estate.
It also claimed that the development of peripheral sites in the village was undermining the redevelopment of brownfield sites and other sites more favourable to compact growth in Watergrasshill.
In response, Mr Hogan claimed the organisation had not clearly stated its grounds of appeal which he claimed were “unfounded, unrelated and vague.”
The developer also pointed out that Uisce Éireann had confirmed that connections to the village’s wastewater system could be facilitated without the requirement for upgrades.
He claimed the development would make a positive contribution to the economic, environmental and social well-being of the area.
An Bord Pleanála said Watergrasshill was due to have an additional 149 housing units by 2028 under the Cork County Development Plan to achieve its target population of 1,736.
Subject to compliance with a number of planning conditions, the board said it was satisfied that the proposed development by Vincentia Investments would not seriously injure the visual or residential amenities of the area and would be acceptable in terms of road safety.
RTÉ documentary
An RTÉ documentary broadcast in December, claimed the two brothers had been objecting to planning applications nationwide in a scheme aimed at obtaining money from property developers.
However, Mr Hogan outlined how he had not paid “go-away” money to the objectors which meant his housing project was held up by over 12 months.
The programme examined the issue of so-called go-away payments made by developers to get parties who lodge objections to their projects to withdraw their appeals.
The documentary entitled “The Planning Trap” highlighted how two other developers paid sums of money to the Callaghans after which they withdrew their appeals.
In one case, a developer paid the brothers and gave one of them the option to buy sites in the development for just €1,000 when they were valued at up to €50,000 each.
When confronted by an RTÉ reporter about the issue, John Callaghan issued a statement in which he commented: “Please be aware that neither of the parties referred to in your letters has done anything unlawful.”
Following the broadcasting of the documentary, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Attorney General and officials in the Department of Justice and Department of Housing would examine the issue raised in the programme.
The AG, Rossa Fanning said the review will consider if stronger measures are needed to counteract the problem of alleged extortion in relation to planning matters.
