Meath County Council officials are set to be driven batty by a legal challenge to their plans to restore and renovate the old St Pats Classical school.
The action, which appears to centre around the suggestion that the council haven’t properly assessed the sites suitability as a roost for bats, which are a protected species and has been taken by a former St Pats pupil, award winning engineer and architect Paul Leech, a Navan native.
Leech specifically argues that the council failed to carry out a second survey on the matter during the summer.
His claim is that this meant the council lacked the information it requires under the EU Habitats’ directive to reach a conclusion that would allow the proposed works to proceed.
It is also claimed that due to the alleged lack of information before it the Council had erred in law in its assessment that the proposed development is not likely to have a significant impact on any nearby environmental sensitive sites.
The case has been adjourned until December.
Meath Live understands the council have racked up substantial consultancy fees on the project already and that in correspondence with them Leech has claimed he will fight the issue for as long as it takes.
Paul Leech told us, ‘As this is before the courts I cannot really comment, but rest assured seeking a judicial review is not something I would do flippantly’.
