WRC rejects planning discrimination complaint against Galway County Council

The Workplace Relations Commission found that Galway County Council did not engage in prohibited conduct in refusing Justin Sheehan’s planning application for a home in County Galway. Its decision, dated 25 April 2025, rejected his complaint under the Equal Status Act that the refusal discriminated against him on the civil-status ground. The council said it assessed the application under the statutory framework and development plan and denied discrimination. Adjudication Officer Conor Stokes found that Sheehan had sought more favourable treatment under a “Fresh Start” approach, and had not established facts from which prohibited conduct could be presumed. No compensation was awarded.