Morning, Friday, 29th January 2027
Online
This conference will examine next steps for infrastructure delivery in Ireland.
As the updated National Development Plan enters the second year of its 2026-2035 programme, we expect a focus on how projects are planned, consented, financed and built. Areas for discussion include priorities around investment and delivery capacity, planning and consenting reform, and the infrastructure development that will be needed to support aims for housing and regional growth, and the long-term needs of the electricity, water and transport systems.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess the practicalities of turning the €275.4bn in public capital investment planned under the updated NDP for 2026-2035 into delivered projects, with Budget 2027 allocating €20.3bn for capital spending in the coming year. Delegates will examine the measures outlined in the 2025 Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan aiming to reduce delays and improve the planning, approval, and delivery of major projects. This will include ways forward for legal and regulatory reform, coordination between public bodies and approaches to securing public acceptance. Implications for stakeholders making investment and delivery decisions will be discussed, alongside what further changes may be needed.
The conference will consider how designation under the Critical Infrastructure Act 2026 operates in practice, including with respect to improving certainty for project promoters and investors while maintaining public confidence in decision-making. Areas for discussion include how public bodies prioritise and coordinate consents for the transport, water and energy projects designated in July 2026, and the questions raised about the Act’s approach to climate obligations. The agenda will also look at the transition to new planning arrangements under the Planning and Development Act 2024, including implications for An Coimisiún Pleanála, planning authorities and those seeking project approvals. Further consideration will be given to what judicial review changes mean for environmental assessment, access to justice and public participation.
Sessions will also assess the capacity of the wider delivery system to sustain the programme over a decade. Delegates will look at what the construction sector and its supply chain need to plan and invest with confidence. They will also assess the sequencing of utility and transport investment alongside housing and regional development, including constraints facing developers, infrastructure providers, businesses and communities. Over the ten-year period, attendees will consider how plans and funding might adapt as conditions change.
Investment priorities, delivery capacity & the project pipeline
Delegates will discuss the experience of reform so far and what will be needed to translate capital allocations into projects on the ground, including investment priorities, the NDP Construction Pipeline and capacity of the construction sector, and the necessary conditions to support long-term planning and delivery.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- investment priorities:
- allocation of public capital under the updated NDP - long-term funding commitments
- value for money and affordability - fiscal risks from reliance on volatile corporation tax receipts
- project pipeline: procurement reform and contract models - risk allocation and commercial viability - certainty over project timetables and opportunities for contractors and investors
- delivery: construction and engineering workforce - supply chain capacity - materials and tender price pressures - resourcing of delivery agencies - modernisation and digitalisation of delivery
- coordination & accountability:
- governance across departments, agencies and utilities - Taskforce oversight of the Action Plan
- utility coordination through the Joint Utilities and Transport Clearing House - measuring delivery outcomes and parliamentary scrutiny
- private investment: role of private finance and partnerships - investor confidence - EU funding instruments
Planning, consenting & legal reform for major projects
The conference will assess priorities relating to implementing the new arrangements for major infrastructure projects. This includes the transition from the existing planning system, the practical implications of prioritising designated projects as well as the scope for further reform. The approach to timely and legally robust decision-making will be considered, alongside environmental protections and public confidence.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- consenting reform:
- timetable for remaining commencement of the 2024 Act - statutory decision timelines
- role and resourcing of An Coimisiún Pleanála - planning authority capacity - transition from the Strategic Infrastructure Development regime
- critical infrastructure:
- designation and prioritisation under the Critical Infrastructure Act 2026 - requirements for public bodies and implications for project delivery
- experience of the first designated projects - implications for projects outside designated categories - the planned National Planning Statement for critical infrastructure
- judicial review:
- procedural changes under the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026 - costs caps for environmental challenges
- proposals for further reform - access to justice in environmental cases, including rights to challenge decisions under the Aarhus Convention
- environmental assessment: proposed changes to assessment thresholds - EU simplification agenda - disapplication of Section 15 climate duty for designated projects - legal robustness of decisions
- public acceptance: early engagement and public participation - community benefit and landowner arrangements - compulsory purchase and land acquisition
Housing, regional growth & enabling infrastructure
Priorities will be examined for bringing forward the infrastructure needed to support housing delivery and regional development, including the use of funding already committed and the coordination needed between developers, utilities and public bodies. Sessions will also look at implications of the revised National Planning Framework for where investment is needed to support population and economic growth.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- site activation:
- delivery of the first €1bn Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund phase, with 82 projects approved in June 2026
- role of the Housing Activation Office and Land Development Agency - land activation and site readiness - financial viability of development schemes
- utility connections: water and wastewater capacity - electricity network capacity - connection timelines and costs - sequencing utility investment with housing delivery
- funding alignment:
- NDP investment - Urban and Rural Regeneration and Development Funds - Housing Finance Agency
- coordination between developers, utilities, local authorities and infrastructure providers
- regional growth: revised NPF growth targets - role of Regional Assemblies and local authorities - urban, regional and rural growth needs - compact growth and transport-oriented development
- enterprise & employment: infrastructure for growth-driving sectors - strategic locations for homes and jobs - competing demands on network capacity and implications for business investment
Energy, water & transport priorities and long-term resilience
Further sessions will consider priorities for investment and delivery across electricity, water and transport infrastructure, including the capacity of existing systems to meet demand and the decisions needed to support future growth. Discussion will draw on the Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport 2026-2030, Ireland’s National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 and the Uisce Éireann Strategic Funding Plan 2025-2029, alongside questions about longer-term resilience and changing investment needs.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- electricity: grid build-out and security of supply - connection policy for large energy users including data centres - the proposed Private Wires Bill - offshore transmission and interconnection
- water: the Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region and Greater Dublin Drainage - capacity constraints in growth areas - long-term funding of Uisce Éireann
- transport: major public transport projects including MetroLink and Cork Area Commuter Rail - national roads - ports capacity and consenting - balance of investment across modes
- climate & resilience: integrating climate and biodiversity objectives - carbon budgets and the next Climate Action Plan - infrastructure resilience and security - adaptation to extreme weather
- long-term planning: assessing future demand across sectors - adapting plans to cost, technology and geopolitical pressures - all-island and EU collaboration on strategic projects
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
