Complaining about Planning Authority

[billy no mates]

Who can I complain to if I feel my local Planning Authority is behaving in an 'unusual' or 'unorthodox' way in the way they deal with planning applications?
I have pointed out a number of discrepancies in the planning process yet when I bring it to thier attention, they acknowledge it but are unable or unwilling to do anything about it. I feel they are acting in the best interests of the (large scale) developer rather than the individual like myself and would like the whole process independantly reviewed in some way. Is this possible? Who can I contact?

[Siobhan]

Contact the Ombudsman

[billy no mates]

Which Ombudsman? Is there a seperate one for dealing with Planning Matters?
Where would I find him? Does he have a website for example?

[ctesiphon]

Did you do an internet search for 'Ombudsman'? I did. Google's first answer (Ireland Only search) was THIS.

I don't mean any disrespect by this, bnm, but this site seems to be your first port of call when you have a question. Many of the answers you require are readily available elsewhere. If your other searches are fruitless, then by all means ask, or if there is confusion. But many local authorities maintain good planning FAQ pages, and it can get a little frustrating answering very basic queries. In addition, some questions have been answered on other threads, either in the Irish Planning sub-forum or in the main Ireland forum- it's worth doing a search of the forums first. If you don't ask the basic questions, then it's also more likely you'll get an answer to the difficult ones. Time for many of us is precious enough (and not only that, this is advice/info from which plenty of people make their living, so you can understand their reluctance to dispense it for free). I hope you don't mind me saying this.

EDIT: Have you thought about engaging a planning consultant? The types of questions you're asking here are their bread and butter. For a small fee you'd get good advice and direction, and they wouldn't resent answering the basics when they're being paid for it.