2015 Press Releases

Áine Ryall appointed to An Bord Pleanála Review Group

4 Aug 2015

Áine Ryall, School of Law, has been appointed Vice-Chair of the An Bord Pleanála Review Group.  

The Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly TD, announced an organisational review of An Bord Pleanála on 26 July 2015.  

The independent expert review group has been tasked with making recommendations to the Minister “to support the Board in its operations, with a view to ensuring that it is appropriately positioned and fit for purpose from an organisational perspective to achieve its legislative mandate.” 

Áine Ryall teaches and researches planning and environmental law at UCC. She is a qualified barrister specialising in international and EU environmental law, in particular environmental impact assessment, access to justice, environmental law enforcement and implementation of the Aarhus Convention. She previously served on the Environmental Protection Review Group which reported to the Government in May 2011.

Announcing the An Bord Pleanála Review Group appointments, Minister Kelly stated

“The Board is a vital part of the planning architecture in Ireland and in the context of the recovering national economy, the further potential expansion of the Board’s remit and the increasingly challenging national and EU legislative and regulatory context in which it operates, I consider that now is an opportune time to undertake an organisational review to ensure that it is positioned for the future”.  

The Review Group is due to report to the Minister by the close of 2015.

The Review Group will be chaired by Mr Gregory Jones QC, a barrister in independent practice at the bar of England and Wales at Francis Taylor Building, Temple, London.  

The other members are Mr Michael Malone, former County Manager (Kildare County Council) and Ms Mary Hughes, current President of the Irish Planning Institute.  

University College Cork

Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh

College Road, Cork T12 K8AF

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