Revised NPF: What’s New for Infrastructure?

The long-awaited revised National Planning Framework has been approved by the Government. Our Planning & Environment team considers the key changes for the infrastructure sector.

What you need to know

• The Government has adopted the revised National Planning Framework (NPF), but it will not take effect until approval has been received from both Houses of the Oireachtas.
• When approved, it will replace the existing NPF, which was adopted in 2018.
• The NPF is one of the most important documents for planning policy in Ireland. It sets out the Government’s high-level, strategic plan for future development.
• In a move towards adopting a more plan-led approach to planning policy in Ireland, the revised NPF sees increased support across a number of areas, including the built environment, transport and water services infrastructure.
• The revised NPF places greater emphasis on nature protection and biodiversity obligations. It will signal the need for a more strategic and active approach to managing nature and biodiversity in all future projects.

The Government has announced that it has approved the revised National Planning Framework. The revised NPF is still subject to the approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas, but Government approval is a huge milestone. The process to update the 2018 version of the NPF has been underway since June 2023, including a three month public consultation held over summer 2024.

What is the NPF?

The National Planning Framework is the Government’s high-level, strategic plan for future development in Ireland.

It is one of the most important documents for planning policy in Ireland as it sets out guiding principles and strategy. Regional and local planning policy sits below, and must be consistent with the NPF.

The NPF will play an even more important role under the new Planning and Development Act 2024 framework, which places a greater emphasis on a strategic, long-term approach to planning policy. This is aligned with the ‘Vision’ section of the revised NPF which identifies a need for a “more active approach to the management of land”. This more strategic, plan-led approach is a theme throughout the revised NPF.

What are the changes for infrastructure planning policy?

One of the top three recommendations made by the Expert Group was the need for greater coordination at a whole-of-government level. The group had been appointed to carry out a high-level review of the 2018 version of the NPF and how it has been implemented. They recommended that this improved coordination should apply to all infrastructure projects, including the National Development Plan (NDP). They also called for new efforts to generate broader support for national spatial planning across all parts of society. A number of new or amended National Policy Objectives (NPOs) have been proposed in the revised NPF to help achieve greater coordination across infrastructure projects and to help avoid haphazard approaches. In this article, we summarise some of the key changes.

Built environment

Energy efficiency of buildings

New text added to NPO 67 on the circular economy, previously NPO 53, refers to “promoting the sustainable re-use and refurbishment of existing buildings and structures”.

A new paragraph in Chapter 9 focuses on the importance of property retrofitting and heightened energy efficiency standards for new buildings. This is aligned with the general direction of travel at national and EU level towards improving the energy efficiency of buildings as a method of emissions reduction.

Heating

New NPO 68 supports the “growth and development of efficient district heating, electrification of heating, and utilisation of geothermal energy”.

Chapter 9 refers to the National Heat Study Report 2022 which identified that a combination of district heating, biomethane and heat pumps will play a vital role in fast decarbonisation of the heat sector. Chapter 9 acknowledges the “key role” that district heating can play in reducing emissions, particularly in conjunction with the delivery of largescale development. It also refers to the target identified in the Climate Action Plan 2023[1] of up to 2.7TWh of district heating installed capacity across both residential and commercial building stock by 2030. This is an increased level of support of district heating compared to the previous NPF.

Green and blue spaces

New NPO 83 commits to strengthening the value of greenbelts as well as green and blues spaces such as parks, rivers, ponds and ‘wild areas’ in the urban landscape. It seeks to “prevent the coalescence of settlements” and to “promote and support an increase in the provision of green and blue spaces and tree canopy cover in settlements.”

Transport

Transport Orientated Development

The importance of public transport was noted in the previous NPF. However, the revised NPF introduces some more concrete statements of support.

New NPOs 10, 97 and 99 support the large-scale delivery of “Transport Orientated Development” in suitable locations. “Transport Orientated Development” is defined in the revised NPF as “a form of urban development that seeks to maximise the provision of housing, employment, public services and leisure space in close proximity to frequent, high quality transport services.” This concept of “Transport Orientated Development” was not included in the previous NPF but is referred to multiple times in the revised NPF.

Electric vehicles and charging infrastructure

Electric vehicles (EV) and charging infrastructure also come under the spotlight in the revised NPF. While the aim is for increased walking, cycling and public transport, the NPF acknowledges that EV use will play an important role in the transformation of Ireland’s transport system.

The NPF refers to the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022 - 2025. It also references associated infrastructure plans developed by Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), an office within the Department of Transport. ZEVI is working with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and local authorities to facilitate and coordinate the roll-out of a national EV charging infrastructure. This work supports the broader transition to electric vehicles.

Among the planned initiatives is the promotion of cross-border electric vehicle charging networks and infrastructure. These efforts aim to help create a more connected island, among other benefits. New NPO 60 reads: “In co-operation with relevant Departments in Northern Ireland, enhanced sustainable transport connectivity between Ireland and Northern Ireland, to include cross-border road and rail, electric vehicle infrastructure, cycling and walking routes, as well as blueways, greenways and peatways.”

Electricity infrastructure

Grid

New NPOs 71 and 72 provide increased support for the development, upgrading and interconnection of onshore grid infrastructure, as compared with the previous NPF.

Interconnection

NPOs 61 and 72 seek to strengthen an all-island interconnection. This is unchanged from the previous NPF (previous NPO 47) except for the addition of a reference to exploring “the potential for strategic cooperation on offshore wind energy development”.

There is reference in the revised NPF to the importance of international interconnection, but limited new text on this as compared to the previous NPF. New NPO 55 supports “the sustainable development of… international grid connectivity enhancements”, but this is unchanged from the previous NPF (previous NPO 42).

For more information on the changes proposed in the energy sector, in particular electricity infrastructure, please see our update:

Revised NPF: What’s New for the Energy Sector?

Water services infrastructure

Co-ordination with planned growth

There is an increased focus on making sure that decision-makers take the receiving environment’s capacity into account when planning water and wastewater infrastructure. This includes ensuring compliance with statutory environmental legislation. There is also an emphasis on aligning planned growth with existing water and wastewater infrastructure capacity, where feasible.

NPO 92 (a refined version of the previous NPO 63) now explicitly refers to the need to co-ordinate water infrastructure with growth areas, as it requires the "alignment of planned growth" with the efficient and sustainable use and development of water resources and water services infrastructure. New NPO 81 supports the “implementation by Uisce Éireann, Local Authorities and other parties with drainage responsibilities of Integrated Wastewater and Drainage Management Plans on a prioritised risk basis in accordance with the requirements of the RBMP and EU Water Directives.”

Climate change and flood risk

New NPOs 77-81 focus on water resource management and flood risk. These new NPOs come under the umbrella of ‘climate change adaptation’, the importance of which is emphasised throughout the revised NPF. This compliments the new National Adaptation Framework which requires sectoral adaptation plans covering priority national level sectors.

Nature and biodiversity restoration

Nature and biodiversity will need to be considered when implementing all policies and objectives under the NPF.

New NPO 84 confirms the introduction of a National Restoration Plan. This aligns with the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) and the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

New NPO 86 requires planning authorities to act in line with the objectives of the NBAP by seeking to ensure “no net loss of biodiversity within their plan making functions.”

New NPO 85 confirms that the conservation, enhancement, mitigation and restoration of biodiversity is to be supported by:

• The integration of policies and objectives for the protection and restoration of biodiversity in statutory land use plans; and
• Prioritising retention of existing habitats over replacement or restoration.

Nature and biodiversity are already protected through the planning system. However, the revised NPF proposals arguably broaden the scope of environmental protection. They also elevate it to a higher level, particularly by prioritising the retention of existing habitats. The new proposals are part of a wider move at national and EU level towards a more strategic and active approach to nature and biodiversity management.

Conclusion

In our view, the revised NPF does not introduce a major step change in infrastructure policy. Rather than changing the approach, it strengthens the policy support for infrastructure. For example, high-quality international connectivity, and sustainable mobility are two of the national strategic outcomes retained in the revised NPF. In addition, water services infrastructure is included as a strategic investment priority.

Perhaps most notably, the revised NPF explicitly acknowledges that “the development of offshore renewable energy is critically dependent on the development of enabling infrastructure, including grid facilities to bring the energy ashore and connect to major sources of energy demand as well as port infrastructure for the marshalling and assembly of wind turbine components”.

This will be supported through a suite of complementing policy documents. One of which is the ‘Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy Policy Statement’, in which the Government commits to supporting continued advances in fixed and floating turbine, wave, and tidal renewable energy technologies. These efforts aim to help meet Ireland’s renewable energy targets as set out under the Climate Action Plan.

Another key document is ‘Powering Prosperity – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy’, which focuses on the potential to develop new industrial demand for renewable energy. Infrastructural development will be a key enabler in realising this potential. Overall, the Government has indicated that the implementation of the NPF is set to continue. It will remain aligned with the NDP and together will form a single, unified vision for Ireland under ‘Project Ireland 2040’. This vision will be fully supported by the Government’s investment strategy for public capital investment, as well as by broader investment across the State.

As such, the direction of travel of the revised NPF is, broadly speaking, aligned with the previous NPF. However, it undoubtedly changes the level of emphasis and support in certain areas.

Notably, the increased support in the revised NPF for things such as district heating, transport orientated development and aligning infrastructure with growth areas all demonstrate a move towards a more strategic, plan-led approach to planning policy. Similarly, the revised NPF’s support for nature restoration, nature based solutions and biodiversity represent a more strategic and active approach to nature and biodiversity management.

So, while the revised NPF might not herald an entirely new approach to infrastructure, it is likely to move the dial on the strategy for the development and consenting of infrastructure projects which are crucial to realising the State’s objectives in other areas.

For more information and expert advice on the changes proposed under the NPF and what this could mean for your business, contact a member of our Planning & Environment team.

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

[1] The Climate Action Plan 2025, which was approved by Government on 15 April 2025, reiterates that the deployment of district heating at scale, particularly in densely populated areas with ready made heat sources located nearby, is a key Government objective under the Climate Action Plan and a component in meeting the built environment sectoral emissions ceiling. In particular, action no. CP/25/5 lists the continued design of National Planning Policy to appropriately support district heating as an Action for 2025.