Getting the public more involved in the country's planning system is a key objective of Ms Joanna Kelly, the newly-elected President of the Irish Planning Institute (IPI).

Ms Kelly, who works with Bord Pleanala, said: "I intend to focus on how the planning system can be reformed to encourage the public to become more engaged with the system."

This was particularly relevant at a time of local government review and also the recent Planning Review Report by the Department of the Environment and the findings of the Mahon Report.

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She added: "I want to look at how the IPI can set up initiatives to better educate the public, including students and children, about how the planning system works and to entice all stakeholders to participate in a more meaningful manner."

Ms Kelly also intends preparing a Corporate Plan for the Institute which will set out key strategic objectives for the Institute over the next 3-5 years.

A native of Tullyallan, Co Louth, she graduated from UCD in 2002 with a Masters Degree in Regional and Urban Planning. After working with a number of local authorities, she became a Bord Pleanala Inspector in 2008.

(CD)