EU court upholds fees charged for planning objections
An advisor to the European Court of Justice has rejected a challenge to the legality of the Irish Government's decision to charge people for objecting to planning decisions.
At present, anyone wishing to lodge an objection to a council's decision to grant planning permission must pay a fee of between €20 and €45.
The European Commission challenged the legality of the fees, but in a preliminary ruling today, the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice rejected the case, saying the cost did not prevent people from making their voices heard.
The court itself almost always follows the advice of the Advocate General.
Minister for the Environment Dick Roche has welcomed the ruling.
