Ireland’s planning body, long known as An Bord Pleanála, has recently been navigating an extraordinary period of upheaval and transformation. One of the most visible recent changes has been the renaming of the body to An Coimisiún Pleanála. 

According to Niamh Thornton, branch membership officer, “the name change to An Coimisiún Pleanála has come about because of the restructuring of the organisation, which has changed from a Board, with Board members responsible for decision making and governance, to a Commission with planning commissioners, who solely make decisions on planning files and a separate governing board to oversee the corporate functions of the Commission.” 

At the offset the name change was met with dismay by many staff, as staff felt it was unnecessary, and the union wrote to Oireachtas members voicing discontent. 

Fórsa official Lisa Connell said: “Over the past number of months we have been working with members to support them through this period of change. Whilst the union had concerns about some of the changes proposed in the legislation that included the name change, the main positive was the increase in staffing.”

She continued: “Fórsa has been advocating for adequate resources for many years, given they deliver such an important service to the public.” 

She continued: “We are also calling for the inclusion of a worker director on the new board, as this will provide a voice for workers at governance level.”  

Increasing staff numbers has had a big impact. A recent significant achievement has been reducing the backlog of planning cases by around 60%. 

“An increase in staff across the organisation and particularly at Board/Commission level and the Inspectorate, familiarity with new legislative planning requirements through training, and hard work have allowed us to make significant inroads,” said Rory Kelledy, branch secretary. 

Remote work has also helped with staff retention. “The rollout of remote working has been a huge benefit in terms of staff retention,” said Thornton. 

With lots of new blood coming through the door, branch chair Mark Masterson points to a whole new generation of union members under the age of 35 joining the organisation. While a few years ago people might have had to wait for the union to reach out, now they’re immediately onboarded. 

“Most inductions are over two days. Fórsa has time within that, so we’ve recorded a video — Niamh, our membership officer, has done it — which explains everything. We also have someone present at the induction to speak to new staff, so they get to know about the union right from the start,” Masterson said. 

There’s a youth committee within the organisation that works to prioritise issues that mightn't be as salient or obvious to the older guard in the union. It works to ensure experiences and insights are passed up the structure. 

Concluding Lisa Connell paid tribute to members’ hard work and said: “Staff in An Coimisiún Pleanála are proud of the work they do, which is really important, particularly during the acute housing crisis.” 

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