Sir, - Recent controversies may have created the impression that Dublin has a monopoly on planning decisions that have made huge profits for developers. Such an impression is very unfair to those other counties where there has been plenty of activity in this murky area.
Here in south Donegal our political fixers have a track record second to none of solid achievement in wealth creation for developers. No tourist or other public amenity is safe from destruction if high profits can be gained from development. Objectors are immediately branded as anti-development, anti-employment and anti-tourism and the sad fact that many of these controversial developments do irrevocable damage to the local environment and to the amenity values of neighbouring properties is dismissed.
The old saying that "money talks" is nowhere more true than in planning and any cursory reading of the statements of our senior politicians on the Dublin rezoning scandal would suggest that there is no political stomach for bringing about any improvement. - Yours, etc.,
West End, Bundoran, Co Donegal.