The Government has agreed to appoint solicitor Peter Mullan as the new chair of An Bord Pleanála (ABP), after an open recruitment process.

Mullan, who is currently interim chair of the planning body, will now take up the position on a permanent basis.

He was first appointed to ABP as a temporary board member in January 2023, and was appointed as interim chair in September.

Mullan had previously been an assistant secretary in the Courts Service. Before that, he had been an assistant secretary in the Department of Justice and Equality, and Chief Prosecution Solicitor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Restructuring plan

A bill published by the Government late last year outlined plans for restructuring and resourcing of ABP, which will be renamed An Coimisiún Pleanála.

In 2022, the Government approved an action plan for ABP that included measures to improve corporate governance, increase the number of board members, and strengthen systems aimed at avoiding conflicts of interest.

Earlier that year, Darragh O’Brien (Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage) had referred a report on certain decisions made by ABP to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), an Garda Síochána (AGS) and the Standards in Public Office (SIPO), following allegations of conflicts of interest in certain decisions.