Education and Experience

       About Joe

Following his graduation from UCD in 2000, with a Masters Degree in ‘Regional and Urban Planning’ (MRUP), Joe Bonner worked for the next 5 years, in Galway County Council and Kildare County Council at Assistant and Executive Planner level. During this time he worked in both Development Management and Forward Planning and gained significant experience in: -

• The assessment of a wide range and scale of planning applications;
• How planning is administered at local authority level;
• Dealing with the public and politicians;
• The making of Development and Local Area Plans.

Joe completed a ‘Diploma in Environmental Engineering’ at Trinity College Dublin in 2005 and later gained 6 years experience in the private sector as a Senior/Associate Planner with ‘Simon Clear & Associates’, which complements his public sector experience and ensures that he can offer clients both public and private sector perspectives when addressing planning matters.

He wrote individual chapters, co-ordinated the input and edited the chapters of all other contributors to numerous project EIS’s (e.g. Traffic, Noise, Ecology and Archaeology) for major retail, residential commercial, leisure and aviation planning applications.

Planning application preparation also involved numerous client, design team and local authority meetings, pre-application reviews of all drawings to ensure compliance with legislation, preparation of all application documents, responses to further information, appeals and attendance at oral hearings.

Joe prepared numerous Development and Local Area Plan submissions on behalf of private clients, wrote, managed and prepared all stages of the Castlebar and Environs Development Plan and Strategic Environmental Assessment on behalf of Mayo County Council and Castlebar Town Council (2006-2008), including attending regular Council meetings. He also prepared the Draft SEA Environmental Report for a Local Area Plan at Barrysparks, Swords on behalf of Fingal County Council in 2011.

Joe has significant experience in conducting development potential feasibility studies (pre and post purchase) for private clients and banks, planning enforcement defence and advising legal counsel for District, Circuit and High Court appearances and has saved clients in excess of €6m by successfully appealing development contribution conditions attached by planning authorities to grants of permission.

In 2011 Joe lectured part-time in 3^rd year ‘Regional Planning’ at Dublin Institute of Technology.

Since October 2011 Joe has owned and operated his own Town Planning Consultancy. Work carried out to date includes the submission of planning applications; further information requests; 1^st and 3^rd party planning appeals; referral to An Bord Pleanala of S261 determinations regarding quarries; Section 5 Referrals, Extensions of Duration, a feasibility study for a potential wind energy development and general planning advice to clients.

Joes education and work experience are outlined below.

Education

Employment History

Private Sector

Public Sector