23rd January 2023: The Irish Planning Institute (IPI), the all-island professional membership body for spatial planners, has today (23rd January) welcomed the appointment of its member Chris McGarry MIPI as Deputy Chairperson of An Bord Pleanála.

Dr Seán O’Leary, Senior Planner, the Irish Planning Institute said: “A complete, diverse and skilled board is needed, given the complexity of the cases received by An Bord Pleanála. The appointment of Mr McGarry to the role of Deputy Chairperson ensures the incorporation of both technical professional planning expertise and corporate knowledge at a time when a fully functioning and resourced An Bord Pleanála is urgently required to address its significant caseload in a rigorous and timely way. We wish him, and the Chairperson Oonagh Buckley, well in their new roles.”

Appointed to the Board of An Bord Pleanála in 2019, Chris McGarry is a member of the Irish Planning Institute and a graduate of QUB and UCD.