Mary Hughes MIPI

With 29 years post qualification experience Mary’s initial years were spent working as a planner with local government in Ireland before moving to the private sector and working for a multi-disciplinary consultancy specialising in transport and planning for three years. Mary then established HRA | PLANNING a town planning & environmental consultancy in 2005 with offices in Dublin and Limerick city. She has been involved and continues to be involved in many national and regional projects including the delivery of public housing; the preparation of development plans on behalf of local government; provision of advice on planning and environmental matters to national government departments and semi state bodies; and provision of planning advice to large development companies, regeneration companies and community groups. Mary was elected to the national Council of the Irish Planning Institute (IPI) in 2010 and served as President of the Institute from 2014 to January 2016. She was appointed by the Minister for the Environment to the Independent Review Group of An Bord Pleanála in 2015 with the Report of the Independent Review Group published in 2016. Mary was appointed as an external member to the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board in 2022 and sat on that Board until early 2025. Mary is currently an External Member of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce, appointed by the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in May 2025.