Case Study - Planner

Name: Stephen Coyne
Job: Planner (www.johnspainassociates.com)

I returned to full-time education as a mature student in 2003 after a variety of roles both in Dublin and abroad. I had been working since I’d left school in 1991 but hadn’t really found a calling or something that really interested me. After some consideration, I chose a BSc in Spatial Planning at Dublin Institute of Technology. I felt that Spatial Planning offered me a great opportunity for a varied and interesting career which appealed to my interests such as architecture and design and environmental issues.

After 4 years I had my degree and I was lucky enough to start working almost immediately with one of the better known planning consultancies in Dublin - John Spain Associates. It’s a busy practice and I certainly feel that I have gained a whole range of experience which I might not have gotten as quickly elsewhere, such as in the public sector. Our projects are mainly large commercial and retail developments, and the company has worked on many of the high profile developments around the country in recent years. It’s been a real learning curve.

The last 10 months have been tough: things have definitely slowed down from the heights of even two years ago. Work is harder to come by and developers are much more restrained in their ambitions. This has had a definite effect on planning consultancies as with architects and other design professionals.  As a career choice it doesn’t seem like the most recession-proof at the moment! 

However, the profession is resilient and things will bounce back in time. The planning profession has enjoyed a high profile over the last few years and seen significant growth in Ireland; mainly thanks to its professional institute - The Irish Planning Institute (IPI). At last count there were over 1,000 planners working in Ireland and the planning schools are busier than ever. The role of the planner keeps changing; taking in as it does social, environmental and economic concerns, and as the economy improves the job will offer great opportunities to progress.