Philly and I visited Southern Ireland at the end of a busy week. Dublin is a regular haunt of ours because, every two years, Ireland plays England at rugby!
On this occasion, we were accompanied throughout the visit by the wonderful Billy Hynes, Chair of the RTPI's Irish Branch, Southern Section.
By the end of the day, Billy had suffered a clamp on his car, his son being bitten by a dog and his bike stolen! Billy, you are a star, keeping cheerful throughout, clearly highly respected by all we met and keeping us amused with your wonderful sense of humour throughout all our travels. Thank you.
Southern Ireland is the smallest group of members in the Regions and Nations, and also operates alongside the Irish Planning Association. However, it operates with huge enthusiasm and is recognised as a statutory consultee by the Irish Government. Perhaps the biggest difference is that they have third party rights of appeal of which more anon.
First stop, University College Dublin, to meet students and lecturers at the Planning School, including the new Chair of Spatial Planning, Professor Zorica Nevodic-Budic. There were the usual concerns about work but a high level of enthusiasm and considerable expertise were displayed by the PhD students. It was also a lovely campus.
Lunch with the Chair, John O’Connor, and Board of the Irish Inspectorate called An Bord Pleanala. Because of the Third Party Appeals, they were involved in the majority of major applications and demonstrated the highest levels of integrity. It seemed to work OK - in the way we all hope the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) will work - but with significant delays to decisions that, in the UK, would have remained with local authorities.
The Adamstown Strategic Development Zone was a private housebuilder initiative, displaying high levels of sustainability alongside a new LRT station proposal.
What were particularly innovative were the efforts by the Project Planner Karen Kenny, of South Dublin County Council, to generate a neighbourhood travel plan. Adamstown has already won an RTPI award and this scheme might well win them another!
Dinner in the evening with Billy, his wife, vice-chair Philip Jackson and Honorary Secretary Rosemary Gibbons, of Dublin City Council, was in a French Restaurant, where we had an enjoyable evening, listening to local gossip and political intrigue in Ireland!
Frank Allen, an ex-financier, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Procurement Agency, responsible for the LUAS Dublin Light Rail System, which complements the DART tram system, railways and buses.
He, with RPS consultant Des Cox who cycled to join us, demonstrated the huge economic impact of the LUAS and substantial proposals for its expansion.
We jumped on the LUAS back to the Docklands Area to meet Jerry Barnes, now of consultants MacCabe Durney Barnes, but previously part of the team that masterplanned and delivered Dublin’s city centre waterside expansion early phases. You can see how successful it’s been.
The inevitable contemporarily designed Arts/Theatre building raised a few questions but in general it was rather more user friendly than London Docklands and the spaces were nicely related to the water.
The highlight of the visit for Philly and me, much to the chagrin of our son Tim’s Northern Irish father-in-law Bill McGinnis, was a tour of the new Lansdowne Road Rugby Stadium, now called (but I suspect without much recognition by the Irish rugby supporters) the Aviva Stadium.
The architects, including Philip are Scott Tallon Walker, and although the budget is over £300 million, it is an exceptional building.
The site constrained capacity to around 50,000, but you can see through the building which curves gently to accommodate its surrounding neighbours’ daylight.
The outside has a skin of Perspex panels but still manages to generate a feeling of grace and dignity as these pictures show. A real treat and apparently on time and on budget.
Dinner with a large number of Branch members organised by the long serving Berna Grist who had done a marvellous job. We were addressed by Ciarin Cuffe one of the Green Party TDs (MPs) representing the Minister.
The Green Party through PR are part of the Irish Government. The address seemed to be providing a relatively onerous planning regime but one which had excellent sustainability credentials.
Throughout the visit, we had enjoyed wonderful weather, Ireland at its best.
The following week, I had been invited to visit Guildford Council by Tracey Haskins the Young Planner of the Year whose company Philly and I had enjoyed on many occasions in particular at the USA APA Convention. RGS Guildford is where I went to school along with Past Presidents Brian Ragget and Nick Davis.
After meeting all the planning team I was taken on a tour that brought back many memories but also showed how the town has changed.
At the top of a multi storey car park, we visited a Thai restaurant, then to see a really exciting modern retail and HQ scheme at the top of the High Street.
We also visited the school that had recently received a new front entrance and clearly planned further extensions sometimes in the vicinity of Grade 1 listed buildings.
Finally we went inside Abbot's Hospital - a long standing charity of almshouse type accommodation. George Abbot was the founder of many public buildings and the building and a modern extension were exceptional.
I returned to the civic offices, having been accompanied by Carol Humphrey, Head of Planning, Tim Dawes DM Manager and of course Tracey, Planning Policy Manager, throughout the day, very impressed by the quality and level of planning service they were able to offer.
Although they are a relatively wealthy council, the planning pressures are substantial, as most of the Borough is Green Belt!
It was very easy to see how Tracey had won her YP Award!
Martin Willey
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