The review of the Dublin City Development Plan commenced with the launch of the Pre-Draft Public Consultation Strategic Issues paper. This webinar has been organised to help inform you on some of the issues to be considered in the new Development Plan and how you can make your views known.

Schedule

Monday 25 January 2021 9.30am - 10.30am City Economy & Retail

Monday 25 January 2021 12.30pm - 1.30pm Housing & Community

Monday 25 January 2021 4.00pm - 5.00pm Heritage & Climate Action

Tuesday 26 January 2021 9.30am - 10.30am Movement & Transport

Tuesday 26 January 2021 12.30pm - 1.30pm Green City & Sustainable Infrastructure

Our Speakers and Panelists

City Economy and Retail

Mary MacSweeney

Mary Mac Sweeney has worked in a variety of roles since joining Dublin City Council in 1986, and is currently working as Deputy Head of Economic Development and Enterprise. In this role Mary supports the start-up and scaling business community in Dublin through the work of the Local Enterprise Office Dublin city. She also contributes to building a strong economic and enterprise eco system through working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to develop and implement policy, research, events and projects that deliver on strategic objectives designed to promote Dublin as a great city to live, work, study and invest in. Mary enjoys working on Innovative and collaborative projects including www.dublineconomy.ie and www.dublin.ie

Neil Bannon, Executive Chairman, Bannon

Neil has been in the commercial property business for 23 years. He is acknowledged as Ireland’s leading retail property expert. Neil has led shopping centre projects from site assembly through design to opening through successive rent reviews and unit re-lettings, has led asset management teams and dealt with both the acquisition and disposal of large scale shopping centres.

Erika Casey

Erika Casey is a Senior Planner who leads the Forward Planning team in Dublin City Council. She is responsible for the review of the Dublin City Development Plan and the preparation of a new plan for 2022-2028. Erika has over 24 years of experience in both the private and public sector and prior to joining DCC, she was a Senior Inspector with An Bord Pleanala. She holds a master degree in Regional and Urban Planning from UCD. She has particular expertise working on large scale, complex urban projects and project management.

Housing and Community

Dr Dáithí Downey

Dr Dáithí Downey works as Chief Officer for Dublin City Council’s Local and Community Development Committee (LCDC) and as Head of Housing Policy, Research and Strategy with the Housing and Community Services Department. Dáithí was Director of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) to end of 2016, having previously been its Deputy Director and Head of Policy and Service Delivery from 2006. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society from 2016, a member of the Royal Irish Academy’s Social Science Committee from 2018 and a long-standing member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Coilín O’Reilly

Coilín O’Reilly is Director of Services for Dublin City Council’s North City Area managing the 6 Local Area Offices and coordinating DCC Services across the North City Area. He has a BSc in Health and Human Performance and a MA in Local Government Management with 20 years’ experience in Local Government in both Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council. He has previously delivered and managed services in the areas of Sport Development, Leisure Centre Management, Licensing, Administration, HR, Heritage Properties, Tourism Development, Events, Economic Development, Property Management and Town Regeneration

Deirdre Scully

Deirdre Scully FIPI, is Deputy City Planner in Dublin City Council leading planning policy with the City. Deirdre previously worked on the delivery of the North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock Strategic Development Zone and on the preparation of the Poolbeg and Grangegorman SDZ and on a number of local area plans in Dublin City Council. Previously Deirdre was the Regional Planning Guidelines Officer with the Dublin & Mid-East Regional Authorities and led the preparation of the 2010 Regional Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area and also previously worked in Fingal, Drogheda, South Dublin and Louth County Authorities and community planning in Ballymun, Dublin.

Heritage and Climate Action

Charles Duggan

Charles Duggan is Heritage Officer in the Planning and Property Development Department of Dublin City Council. Working closely with his colleagues in the Archaeology, Conservation and Heritage Section and across many departments in the Council, and with key external partners, he implements a diverse range of heritage management, research and dissemination projects. In 2021 he will be developing a new Strategic Heritage Plan for Dublin city.

Sabrina Dekker

Sabrina Dekker is Climate Action Coordinator for Dublin City Council. She is responsible for the implementation of DCC’s Climate Change Action Plan. She holds a PhD in Environmental Policy from UCD’s School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy. Prior to joining DCC she was a Research Fellow with the Secretariat to the Climate Change Advisory Council.

John O’Hara

John O’Hara is the City Planning Officer and Head of Land Use Policy with Dublin City Council. He works closely with the Chief Executive, the Elected Members and external agencies in the management and delivery of strategic planning for the City, through the City Development Plan, Local Area Plans, and Strategic Development Zones (SDZ) schemes. Recently John was responsible for the Poolbeg SDZ Planning Scheme. John has over 30 years planning and local government experience in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. He is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Irish Planning Institute. Currently John is a member of the Dublin Housing Task Force established by Government to improve housing supply in the region.

Movement and Transport

Edel Kelly

Edel Kelly is a Transport Practitioner with over 25 years professional experience. With a background in social science and urban planning, she has been leading and developing transportation planning in Dublin City for over 20 years and Dublin City's corporate approach to public realm for over 12 years. Edel has led and developed award winning behavioural change campaigns. Hike It Bike It Like It! was a recipient of 2016 Energy Globe Award and features as a best practice case study on the EU's Eltis portal. In her current position, she leads the multi-disciplinary Transportation Planning team in Dublin City Council.

John O’Hara

John O’Hara is the City Planning Officer and Head of Land Use Policy with Dublin City Council. He works closely with the Chief Executive, the Elected Members and external agencies in the management and delivery of strategic planning for the City, through the City Development Plan, Local Area Plans, and Strategic Development Zones (SDZ) schemes. Recently John was responsible for the Poolbeg SDZ Planning Scheme. John has over 30 years planning and local government experience in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. He is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Irish Planning Institute. Currently John is a member of the Dublin Housing Task Force established by Government to improve housing supply in the region.

Brendan O’Brien

Head of Technical Services

Environment and Transportation Department

Dublin City Council

Green City and Sustainable Infrastructure

Leslie Moore, Head of Parks, Biodiversity and Landscape Services.

Leslie joined Dublin City Council as City Parks Superintendent at the end of February 2012. A graduate of UCD, where he studied Landscape Horticulture (B.Agr. Sc), he also has a Masters in Local Government Management from the Institute of Public Administration.

In Dublin City Council, Leslie leads a team which manages a wide range of outdoor amenities and natural assets. The range of natural assets includes the North Bull Island National Nature Reserve, the 97ha St Annes Demesne Park, neighbourhood and urban parks, beaches and coastal zones, woodlands, old burial grounds, amenity green spaces and trees.

In the Covid pandemic, these natural assets played and continue to play a key and invaluable role as a resource for recreation, respite and the health and well-being of the citizens of Dublin. Leslie also manages an ambitious programme of capital works aimed at addressing the deficit of green space and ‘green infrastructure’ in the south west inner city and north inner city as well as the up-grading and improvement of existing parks and open space for recreation, play, cultural activities and the conservation of natural and built heritage.

Deirdre Scully FIPI

Deirdre Scully FIPI, is Deputy City Planner in Dublin City Council leading planning policy with the City. Deirdre previously worked on the delivery of the North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock Strategic Development Zone and on the preparation of the Poolbeg and Grangegorman SDZ and on a number of local area plans in Dublin City Council. Previously Deirdre was the Regional Planning Guidelines Officer with the Dublin & Mid-East Regional Authorities and led the preparation of the 2010 Regional Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area and also previously worked in Fingal, Drogheda, South Dublin and Louth County Authorities and community planning in Ballymun, Dublin.

Erika Casey

Erika Casey is a Senior Planner who leads the Forward Planning team in Dublin City Council. She is responsible for the review of the Dublin City Development Plan and the preparation of a new plan for 2022-2028. Erika has over 24 years of experience in both the private and public sector and prior to joining DCC, she was a Senior Inspector with An Bord Pleanala. She holds a master degree in Regional and Urban Planning from UCD. She has particular expertise working on large scale, complex urban projects and project management.