Dave qualified as a town planner from the University of West England in 2005, and holds the qualifications of BA (Hons), MPhil, MTCP, MIPI, and has worked in the public and private sector in Cork since 2001. Dave has a particular expertise in the development planning process and has led on the preparation of Integrated Area Plans, Local Area Plans, including the North Docks Local Area Plan, and Action Area Plans , and planning policy advisor on internal Part 8 applications and part of the LOTS team and Part V Implementation Team while at Cork City Council. In private practice, Dave was the principal planner for the Cork Area Strategic Plan (CASP) update in 2008. He co-founded Coakley O’Neill Town Planning Ltd with Aiden O’Neill, and has since advised on commercial, infrastructural, energy, sporting, retail and brownfield land redevelopment projects, including SID, SHD and oral hearings, of varying scales, including strategic masterplanning, energy planning, waste infrastructure, residential development, policy submissions, initial planning appraisals, applications, appeals, enforcement, and advocacy work.