Michael Smith (Irish journalist)

Michael Smith (born 25 October 1965) had the idea for the reward that led to Ireland's Planning Tribunal (1997-2012), was chairman of An Taisce, Ireland's National Trust and largest campaigning environmental NGO (1999-2003), and an activist opposing bad planning and environmental degradation; and is now editor of leftist magazine, Village.

Michael Smith was born in Dublin in 1965, grew up in Shanganagh Vale, Loughlinstown in South County Dublin, and went to school in the Ursuline Convent in nearby Cabinteely and to St Conleth's College and Gonzaga College. He obtained a Bachelor of Civil Law Degree and a Diploma in European Law from University College Dublin and a degree of Barrister-at-Law from King's Inns (1989).

In 1989 Monarch Properties, one of Ireland’s most successful developers which had developed the Tallaght Town Centre shopping centre, bought 240 acres of attractive hilly fields opposite where Smith grew up, at Cherrywood. A group styling itself the Campaign for Honesty in Politics (CHIP), led by Smith, published a leaflet in 1991 headed 'politicians on the fiddle: vote them out’ detailing what it claimed was bad or improper practice by councillors in the County Council.

Smith and others, primarily from his former neighbourhood in Loughinstown, mounted a two-year campaign to stop the development of the Cherrywood site which was already zoned for low-density housing. It was clear that if Monarch got the rezoning a lot of land in the area would be developed as the Shanganagh sewer had recently been installed and the M50 and former Harcourt St railway skirted the site.

Another group led by Smith called the Shanganagh Protection Committee campaigned from 1992 and published leaflets outlining how councillors were changing their minds on rezonings, and asking people to call them about it. Monarch Properties spent £800,000 on public relations for the rezoning primarily through a company fronted by sports presenter Bill O'Herlihy, including on a roadshow, television ads and donations to local sports club. But in 1992, an upzoning was actually undone by councillors, under pressure from residents. Monarch replaced O'Herlihy with former government Press Secretary Frank Dunlop who made payments, some of which were found to be corrupt, to councillors and to Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and opposition leader, John Bruton, The rezoning of nearly all of Monarch lands, and some others went through at the last minute at four houses per acre in 1993 after a number of councillors changed their minds from the previous year.

Smith, who claimed that Phil Monahan, boss of Monarch had predicted the change and boasted to him that he was paying councillors, says he was enraged and had the idea of offering a reward for planning corruption.

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