Implications of the Government’s ‘Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan’
Monday, 08 December 2025
Fast-Track Ireland: The Publication of the Government’s ‘Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan’ and What It Means for the Future of Infrastructure Delivery in Ireland
Introduction
The Government released the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan on 3 December 2025, a blueprint to speed up the delivery of major projects under Ireland’s €275 billion National Development Plan (NDP). Persistent delays, such as those affecting the Greater Dublin Drainage project and Metrolink, highlight the need for change. Developed by an Infrastructure Taskforce under the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, the Plan identifies 12 major barriers to delivery and sets out 30 actionable measures across four reform pillars, most due for implementation in early 2026.
The Pillars of Action Legal Reform
The first pillar focuses on legal and legislative changes to reduce procedural delays. Key actions include:
- Judicial Review Reform: The commencement of relevant provisions under the Planning and Development Act 2024 will begin, introducing cost regulations and procedural updates. Broader judicial review reform is to follow under the forthcoming Civil Reform Bill, which may streamline legal grounds, introduce pre-screening of cases, and allow damages in place of project suspension.
- Critical Infrastructure Bill: New legislation will empower key State bodies to prioritise strategic projects through faster planning and consenting processes, with emergency powers available for urgent cases.
- Other Legislative Updates: Measures include extending new planning processes to transport projects, centralising compulsory purchase order (CPO) approvals within An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP), and reviewing costs protections to align with the Aarhus Convention while considering international practice.
- Reducing Regulatory Burden: The Government will review environmental thresholds for mandatory assessments, focusing on areas where domestic standards exceed EU requirements.
- Rapid Response Mechanisms: A dedicated process will track emerging case law and enable prompt adjustments where needed.
Critical Infrastructure Bill
As anticipated, the Plan outlines at Action 2 the Government’s intention to enact legislation aimed at expediting the delivery of critical infrastructure and providing for emergency powers. The proposed Critical Infrastructure Bill will impose a statutory duty on State bodies to prioritise and accelerate key projects throughout planning, licensing, and other consenting processes. These ‘key projects’ will be identified in a designated critical infrastructure projects list. Furthermore, new emergency provisions will enable the Government to fast-track specific projects in urgent situations.
Civil Reform Bill
The final measure under this Pillar, Action 7, is the proposed Civil Reform Bill, which will legislate for judicial review procedures. Potential measures may include limiting judicial reviews to final planning decisions—rather than allowing separate reviews of each licence, consent, or condition—introducing a preliminary assessment of the likelihood of success before proceedings can advance, or enabling the substitution of damages for project delays, so that identified defects can be remedied retrospectively without halting project delivery.
Regulatory Simplification
This pillar aims to streamline decision-making and reduce complexity:
- Publication of a National Planning Statement for Critical Infrastructure will provide a unified framework guiding planning decisions.
- A new Regulatory Simplification Unit will address overlapping or unnecessary regulatory requirements.
- Legislative updates will remove identified bottlenecks, and reforms will facilitate faster utility connections for electricity and water.
- The Office of the Planning Regulator will undergo review to ensure alignment with national investment priorities.
Delivery and Coordination Reform
Practical delivery improvements are central to this Pillar. Planned actions include introducing risk appetite statements to support confident decision-making, simplifying approvals through amendments to the Infrastructure Guidelines and updating procurement rules in line with evolving EU regulations.
Public Acceptance
Recognising that infrastructure success depends on societal support, the Plan seeks to strengthen engagement and demonstrate tangible public benefits. Actions include faster identification and use of State-owned land for strategic projects and development of a national framework to track the social and economic benefits of completed infrastructure.
Next Steps
The Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan sets a clear roadmap for modernising Ireland’s infrastructure delivery. Through coordinated legal, regulatory and operational reform, the initiative aims to enhance efficiency, attract investment and deliver the infrastructure required to sustain growth across the coming decade. The majority of the actions are set be implemented during Q1–Q2 2026 to expedite housing, energy, transport and water infrastructure.
This is an exciting and potentially watershed moment for the delivery of infrastructure in Ireland. As with all Action Plans the real test will be in the success of its implementation. Based on initial briefings provided by the Chairman of Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce (Sean O’Driscoll) since the Plan has been published the Taskforce is determined that its Actions will be implemented in the stated timeframes and with full Government support.
Link to the Report and Action Plan
Further Information
For further information, please contact Fergal Ruane, Head of Projects and Infrastructure at Byrne Wallace Shields LLP.
This article was authored by Fergal Ruane and Ciara Goonan, Byrne Wallace Shields LLP.
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