The Mahon Tribunal has heard how the developers Monarch Properties were trying to move Dún Laoghaire Golf Club to another site in south Dublin.
Former head of Monarch, the late Phil Monahan, told Dublin council officials that up to 70% of the club's committee were in favour of the move to lands at Cherrywood according to notes of a meeting in 1996.
Council official Kevin O'Sullivan is quoted as saying that some public representatives had preliminary discussions about it but were still 'sitting on the fence' and he did not think the move would be easily achieved.
Yesterday, former Fine Gael minister Sean Barrett told the tribunal that he was offered an £80,000 consultancy fee to lobby for a similar land swap.
Earlier today, a former planning official said he cannot explain why councillors voted to give Monarch Properties a preferential housing density for a south Dublin development.
Former council planning officer William Murray told the Mahon Tribunal that he 'could not come up with any reason' for the decision made by councillors in a vote on the 1993 development plan regarding lands at Cherrywood.
The tribunal heard that the county manager had proposed zoning all lands in the area at four houses per acre.
But a majority of councillors voted instead to give this density to Monarch lands only and restrict other lands to one house per acre.
The tribunal is examining payments totalling nearly £250,000 made by Monarch to 69 different politicians that were listed as development costs.
Further payments totalling nearly £140,000 have yet to be explained by Monarch.
