Ireland's New Infrastructure Acceleration Plan Tackles Delivery Challenges

Ireland doesn’t have an ambition problem. It has a delivery problem. Infrastructure will be one of the defining issues for Ireland’s economy in 2026 and beyond, across housing, energy, water and transport. What we hear consistently from clients is the same frustration: projects are too slow, too fragmented and too uncertain to deliver at scale. The Government recently published its Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan, which is one of the most ambitious attempts in years to fix how critical infrastructure gets built.

The Plan proposes wide-ranging reform across planning, regulation, coordination and public acceptance. But ambition alone won’t unlock projects.

In this short video update, Head of Planning & Environment, Deirdre Nagle and Construction, Infrastructure & Utilities Partner, David Gunn look at what the Action Plan is trying to achieve and why delivery will be the real test.

Infrastructure is going to be one of the defining issues for Ireland's economy in 2026 and beyond. Whether it is housing, energy, water or transport, the common theme we hear from our clients is the same.

The system for getting critical projects delivered is too slow, too fragmented and too uncertain.

In December, the Government published its Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan. It is one of the most ambitious attempts in years to fix Ireland's infrastructure delivery problem.

The Action Plan intends to tackle this through four pillars.

First is legal reform, which also includes a provision of emergency planning powers to get projects delivered more quickly.

New legislation will also be brought in to mandate faster processing of infrastructure projects by the public sector. And there will also be further changes to streamline and improve Ireland's judicial review processes.

Second, regulatory reform with a new simplification unit and a move towards parallel processing, greater use of developer-led utilities and statutory decision making timelines.

The third pillar will be greater coordination by the State bodies in the delivery of projects with the centralised oversight provided by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. There will also be greater use of technology and a more realistic approach to the allocation of risk and delay between the public and private sector.

And fourth, public acceptance with a stronger focus on community benefits and access to State land. What matters now is not just ambition, but delivery.

Contact our Construction, Infrastructure & Utilities team

This content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other advice.