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The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., has today (June 10th) announced that the Government has appointed Dr. Mary Kelly as the incoming chair of An Bord Pleanála.

Dr. Kelly, who is currently the Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will succeed Mr. John O’Connor who retires from the post on June 11th next.

Welcoming her appointment, Minister Hogan said “as Director General of the EPA since 2002, Dr. Kelly has considerable experience of leading a large modern public sector organisation with a key role in a wide range of licensing, enforcement, monitoring and assessment activities associated with environmental protection . She has contributed to the positioning of the EPA as a key environmental organisation that has advanced the agenda in areas such as water quality, illegal dumping and climate change research.” He added that “her experience in refocusing and repositioning the EPA as a strong pragmatic voice for the environment will be an enormous asset to her in leading An Bord Pleanála through the challenging years ahead”.

Dr. Kelly, who holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry and a Masters in Business Administration is a member of the Royal Irish Academy. She was previously employed by IBEC and engaged in representing the enterprise sector in a number of environmental areas and developments.

The Minister also paid tribute to Mr. John O’Connor who is retiring after many years of public service both in the Department of the Environment and some 11 years at the head of An Bord Pleanāla. , “Mr. O’Connor has shown strong leadership of the Board at a time when the Board’s duties and functions have undergone considerable change and become more complex as a result of fundamental reforms to planning legislation over the last decade” said the Minister.