Appeal granted for judicial review on planning decision amid allegations of bias

Court of Appeal overturns the High Court's decision to refuse an extension of time for the appellants to bring a judicial review against An Bord Pleanála's grant of planning permission to a telecommunications company. The appellants allege bias in the decision-making process, citing statistical evidence suggesting an improbably high number of cases allocated to certain Board members. The Court of Appeal found that the public interest in the integrity of the planning process outweighed the commercial interest in certainty, and that the appellants had presented a strong case on the merits. The original court had not given sufficient weight to the public interest in systemic issues raised by the appellants.