PETER ROBINSON lobbied for a controversial housing development project in his East Belfast constituency which was finally granted against the opinion of a senior planner.
Despite signing the approval for the scheme at a protected green-belt area, planner Paul Montgomery added a disclaimer: “I remain of the opinion that this application should be refused in line with previous report.”
The document bearing Mr Montgomery’s signature and his reservation was reproduced in yesterday’s Irish News. The newspaper also reproduced a letter written by Mr Robinson to the Department of the Environment seeking to have the matter “expedited”.
Peter Carr, chairman of the Dundonald Greenbelt Association, said: “It shouldn’t happen like that.”
The department said last night its procedures had been followed.
Mr Montgomery had argued that building up to 400 homes on a large tract of land owned by Knock Golf Club would breach rules protecting such land contained in the Belfast Urban Area Plan of 2001 and other guidelines.
However, four months after an initial application in 2007 was refused, Mr Robinson wrote to the then environment minister, Arlene Foster, requesting that she “investigate the matter”.
Mr Robinson’s wife, Iris, who was still an MP, Assembly member and Castlereagh councillor, also entered into correspondence over the issue as did his son Gareth who is also a Castlereagh councillor.
Mr Robinson was deputy leader of the DUP at the time and was finance minister in the Executive.
The original planning application was turned down on a range of issues including the claim that it would “result in the loss of an area of existing open space”.
Mr Montgomery held strong reservations about the application when it was amended. He said the inclusion of a new championship golf course would “not represent a substantial community benefit”.
In addition he doubted that any new clubhouse, which would also be used as a community centre, would attract public funding and further doubted if its provision would “decisively outweigh the loss of the open space”.
Mr Montgomery was overruled by Belfast divisional planning manager Neil Dunlop.
The DUP declined to comment on the issue last night.
The Department of Environment said: “Every planning decision is agreed corporately following consideration of the planning report. The decision taken is the Planning Service’s corporate opinion . . . [the service] remains of the view that the decision to approve is correct.”