Former HSE boss Paul Reid is set to be appointed as the new chair of the revamped national planning authority following Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, reports The Mirror.
It is believed Mr Reid will be confirmed as chairperson of the newly restructured An Coimisiún Pleanála, the body that will take over from An Bord Pleanála. Housing Minister James Browne is expected to present the proposal to Cabinet on Tuesday.
Minister Browne is likely to bring an information memo to Cabinet outlining the establishment of the new organisation. The body is being launched as part of the phased rollout of the extensive Planning and Development Act 2024, reports The Mirror.
The new commission will include an updated structure and governing board, with a new chairperson in place. It will operate under mandatory legal timelines to ensure clarity and confidence for applicants. The chief planning commissioner will be selected by the governing board.
Sources indicated that Minister Browne is aiming for a “radical shift in speed of decision making, with far greater certainty of timelines when it comes to the new body”, reports The Mirror.
Just last month, he voiced dissatisfaction with the current planning system, and claimed that judicial reviews were being “weaponised”.
Mr Reid led the HSE from 2019 to 2022, a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic. He previously served as Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, after spending three years as chief operating officer in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. He also currently chairs the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs, reports The Mirror.
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