Maximum number of An Bord Pleanála board members temporarily increases from 14 to 17

The maximum number of ordinary board members that may be appointed to the board of An Bord Pleanála has been temporarily increased from 14 to 17, the Minister for Housing has announced.

Darragh O’Brien said the rise in membership will allow for the reduction of cases on hand within the board.

The Fianna Fáil TD also said that he has appointed eight new full-term ordinary board members to the board following an open recruitment process. They will take up their positions from September 2nd.

The planning body has been grappling to deal with the fallout from controversy that led to the July 2022 resignation of its former deputy chairman, Paul Hyde. He received a suspended prison sentence last November for failing to declare certain property interests, after pleading guilty to two charges.

Former chairman Dave Walsh left An Bord Pleanála four months after Mr Hyde, taking early retirement “for personal and family reasons”.

In a statement on Monday, the Department of Housing said “following matters arising during the course of 2022, An Bord Pleanála has been under significant pressure in relation to resourcing, in particular at board level”.

“The impact of this reduction in the number of board members created a significant backlog of case files to be determined in 2023, and into this year,” it said.

“Significant progress has been made in reducing the backlog of cases with a full complement of board members in place. This newly announced increase in the maximum number of board members will allow for the continued support of temporary board members until year end to assist their newly appointed full term colleagues through the decision-making process while they gain much-needed experience in the role and knowledge of procedures.”

Mr O’Brien added that the board has been through a challenging period in recent times but, “with the help of a number of temporary board members, the board is now in a position of stability”.

The newly-appointed board members are: Declan Moore, Liam McGree, Marie O’Connor, Mary Gurrie, Mary Henchy, Mary Rose Mc Govern, Mick Long and Paul Caprani.