An Bord Pleanála says it spent €8.2m on legal fees in 2020

Planning board faced criticism at meeting of Public Accounts Committee

The board also said the number of legal cases taken against An Bord Pleanála increased from 55 to 83 between 2019 and 2020. Picture: Rollingnews.ie

An Bord Pleanála’s legal costs more than doubled to €8.2 million in 2020, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard this morning.

The board also said the number of legal cases taken against An Bord Pleanála increased from 55 to 83 between 2019 and 2020, despite a reduction in the number of decisions taken by the board.

In an often tetchy hearing at the committee, Verona Murphy, the Independent TD, said the spending on legal fees ...