Irish Planning Institute

What Irish Planning Institute does

The Irish Planning Institute (IPI) is the all-island professional membership body for planners in Ireland, founded in November 1975 and structured as a company limited by guarantee without share capital (Company Registration Number 97882). Headquartered at 17 Kildare Street, Dublin 2, IPI represents over 1,000 planners working in Local Authorities, An Coimisiún Pleanála, Central Government, Regional Assemblies, academia, private practice consultancies, large developers, and semi-state organisations, with an additional pipeline of planning students studying on IPI-accredited programmes. The institute issues the MIPI (Registered) and FIPI (Fellow) professional designations, enforces a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct adopted at the 7 December 2023 AGM (effective 1 January 2024), and operates three regional branches in Cork, Northern, and Dublin.

IPI's core product is its tiered membership offering, with annual subscriptions priced at €320 for Fellow and Registered members, €120 for Graduate and Qualifying members, €145 for Affiliate members, €65 for Retired members, and free for Students enrolled in accredited courses; overseas Registered members pay a reduced €80. Application fees of €50 apply to certain categories. Around the membership core, IPI operates a public Planning Consultants Directory, the annual peer-reviewed Pleanáil journal, the Planners' Podcast, CPD webinar series (including new programmes in Marine Spatial Planning and Sustainable Local-Area Transport Planning), the annual Planning Awards (55 nominees across 12 categories in 2025), a job listings board, course accreditation services run with partners including TU Dublin, and policy submissions to government. Technology is limited to digital platforms for membership management, CPD tracking, event delivery, and content publishing; no proprietary AI or software systems are described.

The business model is subscription-based membership dues supplemented by application fees, conference and CPD event fees, awards-related income, job listings, and professional services. Payment plans of 10 monthly instalments are available, fees are waived for members aged 75 and over (from January 2024), and pro-rata fees apply for mid-year joiners. The institute is member-governed via a directly elected Board of Directors, chaired by President Gavin Lawlor MIPI with Vice President Brian McCarthy MIPI and CEO Dr Seán O'Leary MIPI; revenue is not publicly disclosed. International reach is enabled through membership in the European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP-CEU) and the Global Planners Network (GPN), supporting mutual recognition agreements with EU member states, New Zealand, and Australia.

Name

Irish Planning Institute

Legal name

Irish Planning Institute

Website

https://ipi.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Irish Planning Institute is the all-island professional membership body representing over 1,000 planners across Ireland's public and private sectors. Founded in 1975, it issues MIPI/FIPI designations, accredits planning courses, and delivers CPD, awards, publications, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Planning Membership Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAD

Urban Planning & Master Planning

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

Keywords

• Professional planning body
• Planning membership organization
• Professional development planners
• Planning accreditation services
• Urban planning association

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: The institute generates revenue primarily through annual membership subscriptions at various rates depending on membership category (Fellow, Registered, Graduate, Qualifying, Affiliate, Retired, Student, and overseas variants). Additional revenue comes from application fees (€50 for certain categories), conference and CPD event fees, and professional services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Irish Planning Institute is the all-island professional membership body for planners in Ireland, providing tiered membership (Student, Graduate, Qualifying, Registered MIPI, Fellow FIPI, Affiliate, Honorary), professional designations, code of conduct enforcement, CPD events and webinars, an annual Pleanáil journal, a Planners' Podcast, annual Planning Awards, a Planning Consultants Directory, job listings, and accreditation of planning courses at Irish universities. It also conducts policy advocacy on behalf of the planning profession and operates the Professional Competence Test in conjunction with TU Dublin.

Product overview

The Irish Planning Institute offers a membership-based professional organization with services centered around professional membership (Student, Graduate, Qualifying, Registered MIPI, Fellow FIPI, Affiliate, Honorary), a Planning Consultants Directory, annual Pleanáil journal publication, a Planners' Podcast, CPD events/webinars, Planning Awards, job listings, and course accreditation services. These offerings function as an integrated professional ecosystem for planners rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IPI Professional Membership Tiered professional membership program for planners in Ireland and overseas, including Student, Graduate, Qualifying, Registered (with MIPI designation), Fellow (with FIPI designation), Affiliate, and Honorary categories. Members gain professional designation, CPD frameworks, networking, policy advocacy, and international mobility through mutual recognition agreements.
• Planning Consultants Directory Public all-island directory of planning consultants and planning firms searchable by name and location across Ireland, allowing individuals and businesses to find planning professionals by region.
• Pleanáil Journal Annual peer-reviewed journal published each Winter featuring planning research and analysis on spatial planning topics, available to members and the broader planning community.
• Planners' Podcast Podcast series featuring discussions on planning topics, industry news, and interviews with professionals in the planning sector.
• CPD Events and Webinars Continuing Professional Development sessions, online webinars, and training programmes for planners including Early Career Planners series, Marine Spatial Planning series, and Sustainable Local-Area Transport Planning series, supporting the mandatory CPD framework.
• Planning Awards Annual awards programme recognising excellence in planning across multiple categories across the island of Ireland, with categories including projects from Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Carlow, Wicklow, Kildare, Offaly, Tipperary and international work.
• CPD Presentations Library Recorded webinar presentations and CPD materials available to members, covering topics such as Planning and Development Act, Report Writing, Planning Compliance, Validation, and other professional practice areas.
• Job Listings Service Job board advertising planning positions including roles with local authorities, private consultancies, government bodies, and academic institutions.
• Course Accreditation Inspection and accreditation of planning courses at Irish educational institutions, ensuring programmes meet IPI's education guidelines and professional standards, and providing a pathway to professional membership for graduates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members can achieve professional designation MIPI (Registered Members) or FIPI (Fellows)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025The IPI, along with RIAI and SCSI, met with the Oireachtas Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery to discuss the importance of best practice in planning and development.
• Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025The IPI, along with RIAI and SCSI, met with the Oireachtas Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery to discuss the importance of best practice in planning and development.
• European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP-CEU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IPI is a member of the European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP-CEU), which provides mutual recognition of planning qualifications across EU member states and connects Irish planners to European professional networks.
• Global Planners Network (GPN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IPI is a member of the Global Planners Network (GPN), enabling international connections and mutual recognition agreements with planning institutes in countries including New Zealand and Australia.
• Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Professional Competence Test is run in conjunction with the School of Spatial Planning at TU Dublin. This provides an alternative route to membership for individuals whose qualifications are not fully accredited by IPI.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Institute of Planners: Canada's national professional body for planners, providing MCIP designation and Full Membership across provincial affiliates. Comparable operating model to IPI at a larger scale, with similar structure of national body and regional affiliates.

Direct peers

• Royal Town Planning Institute: The UK's professional body for planners, providing chartered membership, CPD, and policy advocacy. Direct peer to IPI as a national planning institute, historically significant to IPI's founding since Irish planners previously sat RTPI exams.
• New Zealand Planning Institute: New Zealand's professional body for planners, offering membership grades, CPD, and policy submissions. Peer through IPI's GPN mutual recognition agreement and represents a similar small-market professional institute model.
• American Planning Association: The largest national planning membership organization in the US, offering AICP certification, publications, conferences, and advocacy. Directly comparable model to IPI at greater scale, demonstrating how a planning institute can grow into a multi-thousand-member body.
• Planning Institute of Australia: Australia's national professional body for urban and regional planners, providing Certified Practising Planner credentials and policy advocacy. A peer through IPI's GPN mutual recognition agreement, operating a comparable membership and CPD model.

Others

• European Council of Spatial Planners: The umbrella body representing national spatial planning associations across Europe, of which IPI is a member. Not a direct competitor but the alliance layer above IPI that enables mutual recognition of qualifications across EU member states.
• Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland: Ireland's professional body for architects, providing RIAI membership and accreditation. Adjacent built-environment peer; IPI collaborates with RIAI on policy advocacy (e.g., Oireachtas Committee), and they share a similar membership-body operating model for a related profession.
• Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland: Ireland's professional body for chartered surveyors covering property, land, and construction. Adjacent built-environment peer; IPI partners with SCSI on policy advocacy and shares a comparable Irish professional institute structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irish-planning-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Irish Planning Institute