An Bord Pleanála chairperson Dave Walsh announces early retirement
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An Bord Pleanála (ABP) chairperson Dave Walsh is to take early retirement from his role within the board for "personal and family reasons", it's been announced.
It follows months of media and political pressure over revelations of malpractice and misgovernance in the organisation.
The board has been beset by a litany of problems around conflicts of interests, interference in inspectors' reports and highly unorthodox composition of decision-making bodies.
In July, Paul Hyde, who was at the centre of a number of these allegations, resigned as deputy chair.
Mr Walsh’s decision to take early retirement was not flagged but came on a day when the reported that the Fórsa union representing inspectors at ABP has demanded publication of a recent internal report highlighting the malpractice.
The internal report, details of which have been published in the , also revealed that Mr Walsh had commissioned an inquiry into the Director of Planning Rachel Kenny over allegations that she was involved in a case in which her husband was part of the applicant team. This newspaper set out a series of questions arising from that inquiry, which had been submitted to Mr Walsh, who declined to answer them.
A statement on Thursday said Mr Walsh "acknowledged the difficult decision that he had come to, and recognised the huge commitment, resilience and expertise shown by everyone throughout the organisation to continue to operate with the highest levels of professionalism, integrity and collegiality in very difficult circumstances, and the great support he has received from everyone across the organisation in his role".
Mr Walsh said it was " a privilege to lead An Bord Pleanála over the last four years", however after 27 years of public service it was the right time "to embark on the next chapter of [his] life and to focus on other priorities".
"While it is of course difficult to leave such an organisation, I am sure that the staff and Board will continue to strive for the highest public service standards that they have set for themselves and for the organisation and I am confident that the actions being taken by the Board, supported by the Department and the Office of the Planning Regulator, will help to quickly restore the Board’s reputation and underpin its central role in the planning process," he added.
“I would also like to thank the Minister and Department for their continued support to me and An Bord Pleanála over the last few years, and I am confident they will continue this support to those tasked with leading the organisation over the coming years.”