The Fianna Fáil TD GV Wright has defended his decision to support the development of a seven-storey hotel within a flight path for Dublin Airport.
Mr Wright admitted to the Mahon Tribunal that he had received £10,000 in cash donations from lobbyist Frank Dunlop but denied this was in return for supporting this and other rezonings.
He said he voted for the proposed hotel at Cloghran as a councillor in 1993 because there was a 'crying out need' for such a development in his Dublin North constituency.
Under questioning he admitted that councillors had been told it would be within a red safety zone for approaching light aircraft before they voted to rezone the land for industrial use.
But Mr Wright said the biggest building in the area was TEAM Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta was already planning the Great Southern Hotel in the same line as the Cloghran development.
And he said Aer Rianta were also objecting to poultry and vegetable farmers in the area who were trying to develop their business.
He 'emphatically' denied taking a £1,000 bribe from Frank Dunlop, saying he supported the Cloghran development for the investment and jobs it would bring.
The tribunal was told that an architect hired by the Cloghran consortium had told councillors Aer Rianta was using the safety argument to 'sterilise' land in the area and keep prices low.
