DOUBTS have arisen over whether a U2 concert can go ahead as scheduled at Lansdowne Road on August 30th because of a High Court ruling yesterday in relation to planning permission for the venue.
An appeal against the High Court decision is to be heard in the Supreme Court on Friday. The concert organisers hope it will clear up the position as to whether planning permission is needed for such events at Lansdowne Road.
A statement from the Irish Rugby Football Union, owner of Lansdowne Road, last night, said it was confident its application to the Supreme Court would be successful and the concert would go ahead as agreed between it and Dublin Corporation.
The corporation indicated in the High Court on Monday that it was prepared to let the concert go ahead pending a court determination of the position at a later date on concerts at the venue.
The promoter, Mr Oliver Barry, and representatives of the IRFU had discussions in the Four Courts yesterday on the approach to be taken.
In the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon, Mr Colm Allen SC, for the IRFU, said that in the High Court his client had sought a number of reliefs.
It sought a declaration that the use of Lansdowne Road for the staging of pop concerts did not represent a material change in the use of the lands.
The IRFU had also sought an order seeking to quash a warning notice issued by the corporation, dated June 30th.
That notice warned that an "unauthorised development" should not be carried out.
Mr Allen said tile background to the case was a High Court judgment last December, which had not been challenged.
In that case, the court ruled that planning permission would be required for pop concerts at Slane.
The High Court had refused the reliefs, which had been sought by the IRFU on an ex-parte application.
Mr Justice Smyth had expressed the view that the application would probably have to be on notice and that there was a public interest factor involved.
Dublin Corporation had been represented in court, notwithstanding that the IRFU application was on an ex-parte basis.
The corporation agreed there was a substantial matter of law to be tried in relation to the status of Lansdowne Road, having regard to the High Court judgment in the Slane case.