BOARD MEMBERS

Method of appointment of Board Members.

The Chairperson is appointed by the Government from a list of candidates selected  by an  independent committee in accordance with section 105 of the 2000 Act, chaired by the President of the High Court. The Government is generally required to make the appointment from among not more than three persons selected by that committee and found by them to be suitable for appointment. The Chairperson of the Board normally holds office for seven years and may be re-appointed for a second or subsequent term of office provided he or she is Chairperson at the time of the re-appointment.

The Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2006 provide for the appointment of nine other members of the Board. Eight of the members are appointed by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from among persons selected from four groups of organisations prescribed by regulations and representative of :

• Professions or occupations that relate to physical planning, engineering and architecture. 
• Organisations concerned with economic development, the promotion and carrying out of development, the   provision of  infrastructure or the development of land or otherwise connected  with the construction industry.
• Organisations representative of local government,  farming and trade unions. 
• Organisations representative of persons concerned with the  protection and preservation of the environment and of amenities/voluntary bodies and bodies having charitable objects /rural and local community development, the promotion of the Irish language or the promotion of heritage, the arts and culture/bodies representative of people with disabilities / bodies   representive of young people. 

The other member is appointed by the Minister from among the officers of the Minister who are established civil servants. These members normally hold office for a term of five years and may be re-appointed for a second or subsequent term provided that the person concerned is an outgoing member at the time of the re-appointment. There are now eight Board members.

Members of the Board

John O'Connor was appointed Chairperson of the Board for a 7 year term to 5th May, 2007.  He was reappointed until 12th June, 2011.  Prior to his appointment he had been since July, 1995 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. 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 U.C.D.
Brian Hunt was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Board on 21st November, 2001. He was initially appointed on 1st January, 1999.  He was reappointed for a further five year term until November, 2006 and has been reappointed until 30th December, 2010. He is a graduate in Civil Engineering from U.C.C. He holds a postgraduate Diploma in Physical Planning from T.C.D. and is a member of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. Prior to his appointment to the Board he worked as a Senior Executive Engineer in the Planning Department of Meath County Council.
Angela Tunney was appointed to the Board on the 10th March, 2000. She was reappointed for a five year term until 6th November, 2011. She is a graduate of U.C.D. holding a Bachelor of Architecture degree and a Masters in Regional and Urban Planning. She has worked as an architect in Germany and England for six years. Joining Aer Rianta in 1991, she has worked in an architectural and project management capacity prior to her appointment to the Board.
Brian Swift was appointed to the Board on the 3rd December, 2001. He was reappointed for a five year term until 2nd December, 2011. He is a former city and county councillor and served on a number of committees including the planning committee of Waterford Corporation. He graduated from UCC with a Bachelor of Civil Law degree, practiced as a solicitor for upwards of 20 years and lectured in law at Waterford Regional Technical College (now Waterford Institute of Technology).
Jane Doyle was appointed to the Board in January, 2002. She was reappointed for a five year term until 31st December, 2011. She holds a Masters degree in Regional and Urban Planning and a diploma in Environmental Impact Assessment Management from UCD. She has extensive local authority experience and was a Senior Planning Inspector in the Board until her appointment as a Board member.
Karl Kent was appointed to the Board on the 1st January, 2002. He was reappointed for a five year term until 31st December, 2011. He qualified in architecture (B.Arch) and town planning (Dip.T.P) in UCD and has a post-graduate diploma in Environmental Impact Assessment Management and a Master's in Urban and Building Conservation from the same institution. He is a member of The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and of the Irish Planning Institute. After working for some years as an architect in both the private and public sectors, he joined the local authority planning service before joining the Board's staff in 1989. He was a Senior Planning Inspector in the Board until his appointment as a Board member.
Mary MacMahon was appointed to the Board for the period 27th November, 2006 until 26th November, 2011. She holds a Masters Degree in Town and Country Planning from Queen's University, Belfast. She worked as a planning consultant in the private sector and was a member of the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board.
Conall Boland was appointed to the Board for the period 1st January , 2007 until  31st December, 2011. He is a graduate in Civil Engineering from Trinity College, Dublin and holds a DEA in Civil Engineering from the ENS Cachan, France. He also holds a Masters Degree in Spatial Planning from the Dublin Institute of Technology. Prior to his appointment to the Board he was Technical Director with RPS Consulting Engineers. He is a chartered member of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland.