Showing posts with label chairman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chairman. Show all posts

Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Planning career changes

WHOEVER is tasked with selecting the new chairman of An Bord Pleanála can expect to be inundated with dusted-off CVs this week ahead of Friday’s deadline to apply for the role.

Incumbent John O’Connor is due to retire in June and an open competition will be held to select his replacement. Given the collapse in demand for planners from the private sector, Around the Block expects some of the sector’s heavy hitters to apply for the role, especially given that many have kept their town-planning sections open in name only, quietly letting all of the staff go while maintaining the illusion that it is still part of their organisation.

Total pay for the post is currently just over €206,000 per annum but that is under review “and may be subject to downward revision prior to appointment”, the booklet for the job states – and there won’t be any overtime. The maximum period of service is seven years.

The board currently receives a public subvention of €12.8m with a further €3.9m expected to come from fee income this year.

Its case load has decreased dramatically with the bursting of the bubble – more than 5,500 cases came before it in 2008 but that fell nearly 50 per cent to 2,900 in 2009 – but it still has to deal with strategic infrastructure applications, such as Metro North and the Dart interconnector in Dublin.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Tuesday, 1 May 2007

Re-appointment of John O'Connor as chairperson of An Bord Pleanála

Mr Dick Roche, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has announced the re-appointment by the Government of Mr. John O'Connor as Chairperson of An Bord Pleanála.

Mr. O'Connor's term of office will be effective until June 2011. The position of Chairperson is a wholetime one.

The Minister paid tribute to Mr. O'Connor's contribution since the time of his original appointment in 2000. "As Chairperson, Mr. O'Connor has been at the helm during a time of significant increase in both the volume and range of the Board's work-load. In addition to the new functions afforded to the Board under the Planning and Development Act 2000, his first term of office has coincided with record levels of activity in the construction industry. This, in turn, has led to record caseload levels for the Board in recent years."

The Minister also referred to the new strategic consent process which has been in place since 31 January 2007. "An Bord Pleanála has been a key component in helping ensure that Ireland's development and economic well-being is both sustainable and sustained over the longer-term for some years now. That role has become even more significant since the Board commenced roll-out of the new strategic consent process. I believe that Mr. O'Connor's experience to-date and record as Chair, will enable him to effectively oversee the crucial 'bedding down' phase of the new strategic consent process, while the ordinary work-load of the Board continues to increase year-on-year."

John O'Connor was first appointed Chairperson of the Board for a 7-year term with effect from 6th May, 2000. Prior to his appointment, he had been an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Environment and Local Government in charge of the Planning and Development Division - with responsibility for Planning, Spatial Planning, Urban and Village Development, Construction, Water Services and Public Private Partnerships since July, 1995.

Prior to that, he served as Principal Officer in the Housing Policy and Finance Section of the Department and as the Department's Finance Officer.

He obtained a diploma in Public Administration from UCD.

Section 105 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides the legislative basis for the appointment of the Chairperson by the Government. Under this Section, the Government may either re-appoint a serving Chairperson for a second or subsequent term of office, or initiate a new application and appointment procedure.

The Chairperson's term of office lasts for seven years - but, Section 105(12) provides that a serving Chairperson may be re-appointed by the Government for a second or subsequent 7-year term of office.