Cork County Council has no specific planning permission for its planning office, it has emerged.
Instead, it is occupying a former factory which has planning permission for use as a telemarketing centre.
However, Cork City Council, in whose area the county council's administrative offices are located, says it has no objections to the use of the former Liebert factory by the county council.
In October 2000, the city council (or Cork Corporation, as it then was) granted permission for the construction of a telemarketing centre at the Liebert site on Model Farm Road.
The permission specified a number of possible uses, all falling within the international services industry category, including data processing, software development, international financial services and healthcare services.
However, with the downturn in the economy, the owners, the Kenny group, were unable to find an overseas company to let the premises.
At the same time, Cork County Council started a major refurbishment of its county hall building.
Large numbers of administrative staff had to be relocated to facilitate the works.
The city council agreed in July last year to allow the county council to use the premises as administrative offices on a temporary basis.
In a letter to the developers, Mr Jim O'Donovan, director of planning in the city council, noted that the planning permission allowed for use of the premises as "administrative headquarters services".
The city council did not consider that the proposed use of the premises was "materially different" from this condition, according to Mr O'Donovan.
He also noted that the proposed use by the city council was temporary, for a maximum of six years.
It would not detract from the city centre or lead to vacancies in offices elsewhere.
Accordingly, the city council had "no objection" to the use of the premises by the county council for up to six years.
Mr O'Donovan acknowledged to The Irish Times that differing views had been expressed on the need or otherwise for a fresh planning application.
However, the matter had received "careful consideration" before the city council reached its decision.
A spokesman for the county council declined to comment, saying it was a matter for the city council to decide. "We're only the tenants," he said.
