Nun facing jail after breach of planning laws
Council prosecutes over illegal two-storey building
The council caused us stress, hardship & financial loss
SR ANN MARIE SKIBBEREEN DISTRICT COURT YESTERDAY
A NUN found guilty of breaching planning laws after building an unauthorised compound could be jailed.
Rev Mother Irene Gibson appeared in court with Sr Anne Marie for whom the two-storey building near Leap, Co Cork, was also constructed.
In bizarre scenes, they both left Skibbereen District Court with their faces covered. Sentence was put back to next April – but she faces a maximum six months behind bars or a €5,000 fine.
Before the trial got under way, Judge James Mcnulty asked them to remove a statue they had brought into court.
Cork County Council alleged a breach of Section 154 of the Planning and Development Act.
Its solicitor Patricia Murphy said there had been a failure to comply with an enforcement notice.
Judge James Mcnulty was told the council had received complaints from the public in 2016 about the building which comprised a wooden chapel, a wooden shed, a timber fence as well as garden sheds.
RELUCTANCE
Ms Murphy added the authority proceeded to a prosecution with “great reluctance” having explored every avenue.
She said to their credit the nuns had removed the chapel, meeting room and three pods from the site. An illegal entrance was also closed off.
However, four pods remain onsite in addition to unauthorised signage and a storage container.
The court was told Gibson purchased several little sheds as temporary accommodation.
Sr Anne Marie accused the council of causing the nuns “extra stress, hardship, bad publicity and great financial loss by treating us in a cold-hearted way.”
Gibson said the original modular building was “ugly.” She apologised to locals for having had it built.
She stated she posted numerous advertisements on Done Deal in a bid to sell it and had eventually found a buyer but at a considerable loss.
Miss Murphy said the nuns were “very impressive diligent hardworking people. but there had been a “flagrant disregard” for the planning laws.
The nuns have an offer of accommodation in Youghal, Co Cork, and hope to be able to move in by Christmas.
Judge Mcnulty said there was no suggestion the council acted in any way improperly.
He said he was a great believer in God being a good provider but that “he may need to hurry up. You may need to pray harder, Sister”.
The nuns declined to speak to the media as they entered a waiting car.