Wicklow County Council is conducting an internal search for documents relating to the rezoning of Glen Ding Woods in Blessington, which have been found to be missing from its records. The county secretary, Mr Bryan Doyle, confirmed that records relating to two area planning meetings were missing, but said they were of no significance and no decision was taken at either meeting.
The land rezoned by the council is owned by Cement Roadstone Holdings, of which Mr Charles Haughey's key financial adviser, Mr Des Traynor, was chairman when it was bought from the Department of Energy.
Labour councillor Mr Tom Cullen, who has sought access to the council records relating to the controversial site, said these documents would be "crucially important" to any future inquiry into the controversial rezoning of 80 acres of land at Glen Ding Woods.
The councillor said: "I am at odds to understand how two very significant documents, which were filed separately in separate offices, could have gone missing from the official records."
The Fianna Fail Wicklow councillor, Mr Dick Roche TD, said every document on the council's planning file was important and detailed records of discussions at area planning meetings should be kept on file.
He said he has written to the council expressing his concerns about the matter.
The minutes which are missing from the council's records are those of an area planning meeting held on December 22nd, 1993, at which the status of Glen Ding Wood as an amenity area was discussed.
Area planning meetings are private sessions at which area councillors make representations on behalf of fellow councillors regarding planning applications.
The agenda of a subsequent area planning meeting held on November 28th, 1994 is also missing from the files. It was at this meeting that the rezoning of Glen Ding Woods was proposed for the first time.
The Blessington Draft Development Plan was formally adopted at a meeting on September 9th, 1996.
A High Court judgment on the validity of the rezoning of Glen Ding Woods and other areas in the Blessington area is expected in weeks.