A prominent Limerick businessman fined in court for erecting a sign for his hotel without planning permission has called for a "level playing pitch" in which to do business.
Bryan Greene, owner of the Greenhills Hotel in Limerick, was fined €950 and ordered to take down a sign he had erected outside the village of Adare for his four-star hotel.
When subsequently refused planning permission for the sign, the hotelier appealed the fine, claiming Limerick County Council was operating a "two tier system" as many of his competitors had signs in the same area without planning permission.
After hearing evidence that these hotels have since been issued with warning notices by the local authority, the Circuit Court last week reduced Mr Greene's fine to €400 but ordered that the sign be removed.
"I am very happy with the outcome as all I am looking for is a level playing field in which to do business," said Mr Greene.
"I feel I should be afforded the same opportunities to do business as the next person. It was out of sheer frustration with the county council that I erected that sign in the first place, and of course I will take the sign down and reapply through the correct channels, now that I am happy that the same rules apply to everyone," he added.
A spokesman for Limerick County Council confirmed that warning notices were recently served on all of the other hotels which had erected signs without permission in the same area as Mr Greene. Senior planner Gerard Sheehan denied there had been any delay in serving these warning letters.
He added that the council deals with some 400 warning notices and over 200 enforcement orders annually.
During the circuit court appeal by Mr Greene, his defence counsel, Emmet O'Brien, pointed out that his client was not afforded the luxury of a warning letter, but instead the council "had gone straight for the jugular" in issuing an enforcement order from the start.
Mr Sheehan said the reason an enforcement order was served on the Greenhills Hotel was due to the size of the sign.
Mr Greene's family have been in business in Limerick since 1915 and four of his children are currently running businesses in the city, which include Greene's Cafe on William Street and the Unicorn Bar and restaurant in Raheen.