A recently formed organisation in Cork has called for new planning guidelines for the city.
Mick Murphy, an unsuccessful Independent candidate in the local elections, said last night at the Green Party convention that planning was "pro-development".
Mr Murphy, from Model Farm Road, claimed there was paranoia among planners that the city had dropped in population and would not recover.
"Because of the cost of housing, people are moving out to places like Carrigaline and Mallow and they are commuting. There has been a 3 per cent drop in population in the city, and this is causing concern to councillors and planners," he added.
"I think they are afraid of losing their status as a second city. They fear that Limerick and Galway will overtake them."
Mr Murphy said that planning in the city had been reduced to "might over right", adding that the views of residents of the city were being ignored by planners.
"When we quote the city development plan, we are told that they are only guidelines," said Mr Murphy. "But when we are told about guidelines, we are assured that they are written in stone."
He said the guidelines should exist for the residents of the city as well as developers. "When it suits the developers, the planning guidelines are written in stone, but when it comes to residents of the city, it is a case of 'take it or leave it'," he added.
Mr Murphy said there was an absence of amenities for residents of high-rise apartments. "There is a particular absence of amenities in the western suburbs," he added.