Re: Re: Planning chief warns of scant regard for design, Bord Pleanála falling behind

Most of John O’Connor’s comments are on the money (pardon the pun), and it’s particularly nice to see objective design criteria being applied to decisions. And it’s not even as if they’re nit-picking over the colour of the bricks or something- single-aspect north-facing apartments are a very basic no-no in planning/design terms. I don’t think there’s one architect or planner out there who’d disagree. Or, put another way, I don’t think there’s anyone out there who’d want to live in one (which is a sliiiiightly different thing).

However, can I ask why this was posted in the main Ireland section rather than in the Irish Planning sub-forum? This is a planning matter at heart and, as such, belongs in the other place. Or do most people on this board not bother looking above the line? There’s some good debate going on up there ^^^ in the purer air 😮 of the planning world that could really benefit from the input of non-planners. Some of the debates are slow, but that can only be the fault of the board members (not the Board members though 🙂 ). It’s up to all of us to get stuck in. I’d like not to read this as a reflection of the division between the two disciplines and, by extension, as a confirmation of some of the comments in the Board’s Annual Report, but it’s hard. While we mightn’t always agree (godforbid!), we are technically all in this game together- architects, planners, enlightened laypeople.
So come on in- the water’s lovely (and I hear the sharks have gone into hibernation, so there’s no better time). Lexington, one of the few to dip a toe in so far, has just started a discussion on the use of CAD modelling and photomontages on which I’m sure many here would have an opinion, to name just one thread.