A Northern Ireland company has been given the green light by Louth County Council to build 26 houses and three apartments after councillors agreed to materially contravene the Dunleer development plan.
Bovale Developments of Warrenpoint, Co Down, has Brian Pepper, a Manchester-based property trader, listed as one of its directors. Mr Pepper is a business partner of Dermot Craven, also of Manchester.
The other named director is Harry Carvill, Upper Dromore Road, Warrenpoint.
Last October the office of the Craven group in Manchester was among a number of properties searched by the Assets Recovery Agency as part of its investigation into a multi-million euro property empire allegedly belonging to the IRA.
The planning application by Bovale Developments Ltd is for 26 terraced and semi-detached houses and three apartments on the Dublin Road, Dunleer.
The site is just over 2½ hectares, but under the local area plan it was part zoned for residential and commercial use and part zoned for recreation, amenity and civic use.
Councillors were told that the company has agreed to transfer 1.64 hectares to the county council, which will be transformed into a town park.
The council's senior planners recommended that 21 conditions be attached to the permission, and said that although the development materially contravened the development plan it "is considered that it would not be contrary to proper planning and sustainable development".