Paul has been the acting Head of the Planning Division at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage since January 2023. He has more than 30 years’ experience of working in planning and development in Ireland and the UK.
Paul is currently responsible for reform of the planning system through the Planning Bill, revision of the National Planning Framework and the provision of enhanced resourcing for the planning sector.
His previous roles at the Department of Housing include Principal Adviser and Senior Adviser. Prior to joining the Department in 2015, Paul was Senior Planner at South Dublin County Council for more than 10 years. While there he led the development of the Adamstown Strategic Development Zone and also initiated the development of the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS).
Paul previously worked in local Government at Kildare and Meath County Councils and in private sector consultancy for 5 years, both in Ireland and the UK. He has a Master of Regional and Urban Planning degree from UCD (1992) and recently completed a higher diploma in Organisational Change and Transformation, also at UCD. He is a Fellow of the Irish Planning Institute.