THE Bord Pleanala oral hearing, which concluded this week, into a proposed development in Glanmire raises important questions about the role taken by Cork County Council in the planning process.

The background to the hearing involves the granting of planning permission to O'Flynn construction to build over 1,200 houses on two parcels of land that stretch from the area of the Dunkettle roundabout over towards Glanmire.

There were numerous objections to the plan and, consequently, An Bord Pleanala held an oral hearing into the matter over the past two weeks.

At the hearing local residents groups, local individuals and the National Roads Authority (NRA) set out their objections to the planned development. On the other side was the developer, O'Flynn Construction.

And then there was Cork County Council, who made submissions supporting their decision to approve the project and outlined how they will facilitate the O'Flynn plan by way of infrastructural developments that will cost millions of euro. It can be argued that this effectively makes the council a supporter of the planned development.

Therein lies a problem because now Cork County Council is standing in opposition to Corkonians. Of course, as with the hurling dispute — Cork GAA Board V Senior hurlers — these things can happen with the best of intentions all round.

The council's stance also brought the planning authority into direct conflict with the NRA. The NRA is saying the roads in the area are already at full capacity, carrying 83,000 vehicles a day, and the development could result in increasing congestion. On the other hand, the council says it can upgrade, with the help of the developer, the road system to facilitate the extra traffic.

While this sees the council facing off against the National Roads Authority one could say it's no more than a debate between professionals and the optimum outcome will duly ensue.

However, there is some cause for concern when our local authority seems willing to facilitate the changing of a substantial local landscape and roads network to facilitate a developer while facing down the objections of large numbers of local residents and at least one national body (the National Parks and Wildlife Service also has expressed concerns about the plans).

The county council's basic argument is that the plan — with road alterations — is in accordance with proper planning and development for Cork.

But this comes within the context of the massive expansions of local towns and villages in recent years. The massive expansion in Glanmire over the past 15 years has not brought with it an improved road network, into or through the area, up to this; although the Glanmire bypass has, at least diverted north-bound traffic around it.

Post property crash, the expansion has left literally hundreds of houses empty, not only in Glanmire but also in the nearby Glounthane, Little Island, Carrigtwohill, Watergrasshill, Rathcormac and Midleton. Last week, research by University College Dublin revealed that nationally 17% of houses are empty.

This would appear to suggest that the developer, with some support from the county council, is going to considerable lengths to get a large number of houses built when the demand for them is questionable.

The circumstances here appear to go beyond our county council merely carrying out its role as local planning authority. Its actions appear to show the authority being pro-active in the process.

Pro-active is something we should commend our local authority on when it comes to development in our county. But we also need the council to be an independent mediator and, in this instance, this could be called into question because of the strongly supportive role the council has taken.