The Dublin City Planning Officer, Pat McDonnell, the deputy chairwoman of An Bord Pleanala, Ann Quinn, and the Environment Editor of The Irish Times, Frank McDonald, will be among the speakers at the annual conference of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) in Belfast later this month.

This is the first time the RTPI has held its annual conference in Belfast and the three-day event, which will be attended by members of the institute from Britain, Europe and much further afield, will focus on the remarkable change in the city's fortunes in recent years - exemplified by the Waterfront Hall.

"We are delighted that the Belfast 2000 conference will provide an excellent opportunity for members of the RTPI to experience at first hand just how much Belfast has been transformed," said Sinead Rice, chair of the institute's Northern section and Mary Warren Darley, her counterpart in the South.

The theme of this year's conference, which opens on June 20th, is "Planning Real Places for Real People", with Belfast as a particular case study, There will also be a study tour of Dublin. Further information may be obtained from Mary Warren Darley, telephone 01-6723069.