Alan Di Lucia

• As the Head of the Development Management Section at Mayo County Council, my primary responsibility is to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the Development Management Function. In this role, I provide guidance and support to seven planners, ensuring that their assessment of planning applications aligns with National, Regional, and Local policies, legislation, and guidelines. Additionally, have final approval on planning reports that are presented to the decision maker.
• Taking the lead on evaluating significant development proposals ranging from large-scale energy proposal, water services and road infrastructure projects, to industry and tourism-related initiatives, I oversee the entire process. This includes conducting pre-planning meetings, engaging with relevant stakeholders, and preparing comprehensive planning reports and recommendations for the decision maker. I actively engage with applicants during the pre-planning stage on Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) proposals, ensuring collaboration with the relevant departments within Mayo County Council. Furthermore, I am responsible for preparing the planning report under Section 37E(4) for SID projects, which is then submitted to the Chief Executive.
• I was assigned the role of designated planner for the N5 Westport to Turlough Scheme. This involved the preparation and completion of planning reports for compensation claims, as well as attendance at arbitration hearings where I provided necessary evidence.
• Having a deep understanding of planning legislation, I regularly provide advice to both the Senior Planner and the Director of Services.
• Currently, I am spearheading the implementation and integration of the National e-Planning System in Mayo. This involves coordinating with the IT department to determine the necessary hardware for the project.
• In addition, I am an active member of the Irish Planning Institute (IPI) and until recently currently I served on the Institutes' Marine Spatial Planning Committee. The committee's primary focus is to develop policies and submit recommendations on Marine Spatial Planning. Furthermore, it promotes and advances the training and education of planners in this specialized area.
• I was also selected to conduct a peer review of the Office of the Planning Regulator's (OPR) draft Practice Notes on Conditions attached to planning permissions. As part of this task, I thoroughly examined the documents and provided valuable feedback on content and usability. My comments were submitted to the OPR for further consideration.

In my role as Acting Senior Planner

• I successfully managed the delivery of the draft Mayo County Development Plan 2022-2028. To ensure alignment with national and regional planning strategies such as the National Planning Framework and the Regional and Spatial Economic Strategy, I developed a comprehensive strategy for sustainable development in Mayo spanning three County Development Plans. I collaborated with the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, the Office of the Planning Regulator, Statutory Bodies such as Irish Water and neighboring local authorities in preparing the draft Plan. To foster a more collaborative approach with elected members in the drafting of the development plan, I conducted workshops to present and discuss various aspects of the plan. I actively sought and incorporated their input and feedback while ensuring adherence to legal requirements and guidelines.
• I prepared the Chief Executive's Report for all Part 8 proposals. I identified inefficiencies in the Part 8 proposal process, namely inconsistencies between municipal district areas, housing, and architecture sections, and non-compliance with statutory referral requirements. To address these issues, I conducted a thorough analysis of the process and introduced changes. These included streamlining the collaboration process and creating a comprehensive Part 8 guidebook, ensuring consistent application and adherence to all statutory and legislative requirements across the Council.
• I oversaw all planning enforcement cases.
• Additionally, I continued to fulfill the responsibilities of a Senior Executive Planner within the Development Management Section.

From 2009 in the Forward Planning Section

• I successfully finalised the Mayo County Development Plan
• I also played a pivotal role in the completion of the Ireland West Airport Knock Local Area Plan and overseeing all planning applications at the Airport
• I was involved at a European Level, on a project entitled "Atlantic Network for Coastal Risk Management" (ANCORIM). The aim was to contribute to strengthening the action capacity of coastal actors in the Atlantic Regions in terms of management and prevention of coastal risks. Ireland was represented on this project by Mayo County Council (MCC) and National University Ireland, Galway (NUIG), our task was to develop a methodology to enable decision makers to incorporate coastal risk within plans or projects. This was achieved through the publication of a "Decision Making and Coastal Risks: A Good Practice Guide". In 2012, I presented our contribution to the project at the National Conferences in Galway, Ireland and Lorient, France. (https://corimat.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/3_Outil3_56P_EN.pdf)
• Furthermore, I assumed responsibility for implementing the Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2016, successfully delivering four projects in Mayo. Through my efforts, each project obtained the maximum funding of €95,000
• As part of the Ballina Team, I actively participated in the Pilot National Town Centre Health Check Training Programme. This involved coordinating a land use survey of the town centre area, conducted by a team of 32 students. To facilitate this survey, I collaborated in the development of a mobile land use app
• I recently finalised the necessary variations to three Town Council plans to incorporate the provisions of the Urban Regeneration Act.

From 2000 in the Development Management Section

• I had responsibility for Development Management for both Westport and Belmullet Electoral Areas. I guided and mentored a team of two assistant planners in their assessment of planning applications, which were presented to the Director of Services for decision.
• I initiated a review of the planning process in Mayo and identified that the submission of planning applications on-line would provide a more efficient and user friendly service. I co-ordinated the development of an e-planning system for Mayo, which facilitated the submission of planning applications and submissions on-line. The e-planning system was approved by management and implemented in full.

• I was assigned to the development management section, with responsibility for managing all planning applications
• I assessed, evaluated and made recommendations on planning applications reporting directly to the County Engineer
• I advised and guided the assistant planner in their assessment of planning applications and presented those applications to the County Engineer for decision
• I attended the monthly Sligo County Council meetings to provide an update on all development management issues to the elected members.

I was assigned to the development management section

• My main responsibility related to planning applications
• I validated planning application on receipt; registered them and referred them to the relevant sections and statutory bodies
• I assessed, evaluated and made recommendations on planning applications reporting directly to the senior executive planner
• I coordinated with the Elected Members to meet on the sites of potential refusals and outlined the issues pertaining to the planning application.

I was employed as technical advisor / community liaison officer based in the planning section for the European Union Life Pilot Project. The aim was to foster links between the local authority and community groups in raising awareness and addressing environmental issues in their community, resulting in receiving the 'Beatha' award.

As community liaison office

• I forged new links between Mayo County Council and the community.
• I chaired meetings with the each community, firstly to gather information relating to environmental issues but also to provide
  solutions to the issues raised.

As technical adviser

• I compiled all the technical data available, identified issues and developed achievable solutions.
• I prepared resource inventories / reports for all nine communities involved in the project in Mayo.
• Finally I guided the community groups in their presentation to the independent panel of assessors, who awarded eight out of the nine community groups the 'Beatha' award.