A member of the Northern Ireland Assembly's Environment Committee has called for an investigation into the approval of an application to build up to 400 homes at Knock Golf Club.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, the SDLP's John Dallat has also called on the Planning Service to defer the decision to grant planning permission to the club to build houses and apartments until his concerns have been responded to and cleared up.

Mr Dallat said the Environment Committee has a duty to ensure there was no corruption in the case. However, his committee colleague, Peter Weir has said there is no evidence to suggest any corruption has taken place.

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The committee is to ask the Department of the Environment for clarification, after MLAs aired concerns over newspaper reports that a planning official had objected to permission being granted to build homes on a large stretch of green space.

According to the reports, Principal Planning Officer Paul Montgomery signed off on the proposals for the £22m development with a note stating: "I remain of the opinion that this application should be refused - in line with the previous report of 29/10/08."

East Belfast MP Peter Robinson and his councillor son, Gareth have supported the plans.

Mr Dallat asked the committee: "Is it a question of who you know rather than what you put in a planning application?"

A spokesman for the DOE said: "Planning Service followed its own policies, procedures and practices in considering and processing this application. Every planning decision is agreed corporately following consideration of the planning report."

(NS/GK)