Council says its role is 'to ensure compliance with the conditions of the planning permission'

Meath Co Council has issued a statement following the resignation of Meath West TD Damien English as Minister for State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment after irregularities over his planning application to the council for his family house surfaced during the week.

In a short statement the council said its role is 'to ensure compliance with the conditions of the planning permission' possibly leaving the door open to further investigation after this week's revelations in a report on the ontheditch.com news site that Deputy English falsely submitted a declaration to Meath County Council stating that he didn’t own a home to secure planning permission for a new house.

The local authority told the Meath Chronicle that "all planning applications are assessed in accordance with national, regional, and local policy and ministerial guidelines that are in operation at the time of the decision.

"Once a final grant of planning permission is issued, the role of the planning authority is to ensure compliance with the conditions of the planning permission.

"It has been and continues to be the policy of the Council not to comment on any aspect of individual planning applications.

In a statement released early this morning, Deputy English said he had informed the Taoiseach last night of his decision.

“Yesterday (Wednesday) in an online article, questions were raised about my planning application from 14 years ago. I reviewed this application, made in 2008, and it is clear to me that I failed to inform Meath County Council about ownership of my house in Castlemartin.

“This was wrong, not up to the standard required and I apologise for doing so."

According to a report on the ontheditch.com news site Deputy English falsely submitted a declaration to Meath County Council that he didn’t own a home to secure planning permission for a new house.

He was the owner of a bungalow when he applied for planning permission for his current home.

Under planning rules Meath County Council only grants permission for one-off dwellings to locals who don’t already own a house and can prove they have a housing need.

The house he didn’t admit to owning in his application is the same property he failed to declare in the Dáil register for more than decade. The house is just six kilometres from his current home.

Deputy English said in application he didn’t own a home.He bought his first home, which he still owns, in 2004 with an Ulster Bank mortgage, according to Land Registry records. His father previously owned the Castlemartin, county Meath bungalow.

In 2008 English and his wife, Laura applied for permission to build a new 2,800 square feet bungalow on a 2.5 acre site in Cookstown.

According to Meath County Council’s Rural Housing Policy, it will consider granting one-off permission to locals “who have never owned a rural house and who wish to build their first home close to the original family home”.

He was required to complete and submit a local needs form to Meath County Council to prove he had a housing need and that his application complied with this rural housing policy. .

In his application, he said he didn’t own a home.

“According to the local needs form submitted with the application he (English) does not own a dwelling and has not owned a dwelling previously,” wrote Meath County Council planning officer Alan Russell in his report dated 8 October, 2008.

He claimed he was residing in his parents' Castlemartin home and “submitted documentation… for the past five years which link him to the family home,” according to the planner’s report.

Earlier this week, Minister English rejected claims made by www.ontheditch.com that he breached Standards in Public Office (SIPO) legislation by failing to disclose information on his ownership of the Castlemartin property.

He says he was not required under ethics legislation to declare his ownership of the property as it is for family use.

TDs and ministers are required to declare certain property interests annually and failure to do so can lead to a Standards in Public Office investigation.

The Meath West TD bought a house at Castlemartin, Kells with an Ulster Bank loan in 2004 and four years ago the loan was transferred to Promontoria, but he has maintained his ownership of the property.

It is reported he lived in the property until 2010 when he moved to a new larger home in Cookstown, Kells.

He kept the first home, which is no longer his primary residence, but hadn't declared ownership of it for more than ten years.

A spokesperson for the Minister said the SIPO guidelines for office holders are clear and the Minister did not include the property in his declaration as it is solely for family use.

According to the guidelines; “An office holder is not required under this heading to disclose information regarding his or her private home or that of a spouse or civil partner and any subsidiary or ancillary land to such home that is not being used or developed primarily for commercial purposes. Also excluded is a holiday home and any other private home used by an office holder or his or her family and any land that is subsidiary or ancillary to it which is required for its amenity or convenience and is not being used or developed primarily for commercial purposes.”

In his resignation statement, the Minister thanked the people of Meath West for their ongoing support as their TD.

"I will continue to serve them and work hard on their behalf in the constituency.

“I thank the Taoiseach and parliamentary colleagues for their support during my time as Minister of State. I will continue to support the Taoiseach and colleagues in Government as they continue to deliver on the programme for Government.

“I would like to recognise the support and sacrifice of Laura and my family at all times.”

Minister English bought the Castlemartin bungalow with an Ulster Bank mortgage in 2004, according to the report and the bank sold his loan to Promontoria in 2019.

The property’s folio shows the loan is no longer registered as a charge against the house. The property sits on a half-acre site and is valued at around €200,000.

A spokesperson for the Standards In Public Office Commission said it does not comment on individual cases.

“Due to the nature of SIPO’s role as an impartial oversight body, and in order to be fair to all parties involved, we do not comment on whether a complaint about any individual has been received under the Ethics Acts. This includes confirming whether or not a complaint has been received.

“If a complaint is received and the Commission considers there is sufficient evidence to warrant an investigation under the Ethics Acts, it will proceed to hold an investigation hearing. Details of the matter are publicised on the Commission’s website at that stage, and the investigation hearing is then held in public. After an investigation is carried out, the Commission publishes a report detailing its findings and determinations and forwards it to relevant persons,” the spokesperson concluded.