President’s Welcome
Welcome to the Irish Planning Institute web site.
I am honoured to have been elected to serve as President of the Irish Planning Institute, particularly in this the 35th year since the foundation of the Institute by a visionary group of planners.
I look forward in the year ahead to representing the best interests of the Institute and the planning profession. There are many challenges both for us as a professional body and in spatial planning in general. However, these are matched by many opportunities which we can and must harness.
Looking firstly within the Institute and the profession, the old Irish proverb ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile' or ‘Unity is Strength' springs to mind. The real value of the Institute is ensuring that as a profession we have a strong collective voice in promoting best practice in Irish Planning. It is important therefore that we maintain and expand our membership to give us that voice and this will be a priority in the year ahead.
I intend during the year to reactivate the ‘President's Road Show', last done under Henk van der Kamp's presidency. I hope to visit each branch area and I look forward to meeting existing and prospective new members. I would value hearing your views both on planning and how the Institute can improve its services to you. A comprehensive range of member services including CPD events and our flagship National & Autumn Conferences are again planned for the year ahead by our hardworking IPI Council and Branches.
Looking externally, the Institute exists of course not only to serve its membership but also to give strong leadership on matters relating to planning and development in Ireland. We are a ‘planning' Institute rather than a ‘planners' Institute. We therefore recognise and are willing to engage positively with the many other stakeholders in the planning arena.
One key message I wish to promote in the year ahead is that there can be no ‘stepping down' of the planning system - as advocated by some - just because the ‘Celtic Tiger' years are gone. To do so would miss the very point of what a good planning system seeks to achieve. It is important that we have a well structured and resourced planning framework that can play its important part in ensuring a good quality of life for our citizens. This Institute will continue to be a balanced and constructive voice in seeking to achieve this.
Gordon Daly MIPI
President
June 2010