Frank Dunlop's riveting revelations in Dublin Castle overshadowed the Government's appointment last Tuesday of a new chairman of An Bord Pleanala - the most powerful post in Irish planning. John O'Connor, assistant secretary in charge of the Department of the Environment's planning division, takes over as chairman of the appeals board on May 6th, following the retirement of Paddy O'Duffy.
Once O'Connor had thrown his hat in the ring he became the favourite for the £90,000-a-year post. The other two names on the shortlist were Ann Quinn, the board's deputy chairman, and John Martin, deputy city planning officer with Dublin Corporation.
O'Connor, a Corkman, will be missed in the Custom House, where he is highly regarded. He will also have to resign as a member of the executive board of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, where he no doubt gained a unique insight into the massive Spencer Dock development proposed by Johnny Ronan and Richard Barrett of Treasury Holdings and Harry Crosbie, the Docklands developer.
The 10-member Bord Pleanala must decide on the plan for the CIE-owned 51-acre site by July 17th, following the exhaustive public inquiry in March. It will be the first major challenge for O'Connor as he starts his seven-year term.