A Dublin city councillor, Mr Gerry Breen (FG), has taken the unusual step of lodging a notice of appeal against a decision made by Dublin Corporation.
In a further development, Mr Breen has put down a motion condemning the corporation's decision, made on the councillors' behalf, to grant permission for the redevelopment of the Spencer Dock site to include the State's first national conference centre, which won majority support at the monthly council meeting.
Mr Breen claims Dublin Corporation denied councillors an opportunity to consider the Spencer Dock decision. "The decision [to approve the plan] was announced at 4 p.m. on August 6th, when most councillors were on holiday," he said. Nor was a technical environmental study of the proposed development made available, he added.
The city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, had given advice that the resolution was invalid because he had exercised his function in making the decision. However, an amended form of the resolution was accepted on Monday evening by the Lord Mayor, Ms Mary Freehill (Lab), and was passed. "The executive have to take notice of our decisions," said Mr Breen, and this development went against the city development plan and the Dublin Dockland Development Authority's master plan.
A Dublin Corporation spokesman said it was very rare for the councillors to pass resolutions which went against the executive's decisions.
Mr Breen is one of 20 new councillors. He is objecting to the plans to redevelop Spencer Dock on grounds of excessive height and traffic implications, and he questions the need for a national conference centre.
Cllr Ciaran Cuffe (Green) has also lodged a third-party appeal with An Bord Pleanala.
The development is the largest urban development ever planned in Ireland. It is for a 51-acre site owned by CIE, which forms part of the consortium, Spencer Dock Holdings, with Mr Harry Crosbie and Treasury Holdings.