Newry, Mourne and Down Council Planning Committee approved planning application P/2009/1336/F Mr JC Campbell, at a Committee meeting this morning, willfully disregarding (i) the recommendation of the Council's own planning officer, (ii) the objections of 3,200 petition signees, (iii) the shared consensus of a wide range of community and environmental groups opposed to this planning application and (iv) the potential reputational damage to the Council imposed through Judicial Review proceedings. We will post further updates on the meeting as they become available but for now we can confirm that the proposal to overturn the planning officer's recommendation for refusal was motioned by Cllr Mark Murnin (SDLP/Ballynahinch) and seconded by Cllr Glyn Hanna (DUP/Kilkeel). We cannot yet confirm how many of the 12 Councillors on the Planning Committee voted on this planning application, but at least half did not vote and there was no Crotlieve representation. At this point, no reasons or explanation for the Planning Committee's decision are publicly available. Furthermore, the applicant has yet to disclose any details regarding the identity of the developer. We will continue to try our best to ensure the local community is reliably informed about this planning application and seek to promote some semblance of transparency in relation to planning decisions in Newry, Mourne and Down. For further details... https://www.facebook.com/RARE-Rostrevor-Action-Respecting-the-Environment-303834406659032/