Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-04
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Anne Rabbitte (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

That is what is happening. Mullagh had to amalgamate with Kiltormer. Tynagh and Abbey-Duniry amalgamated. That is the trend that is developing. It would be remiss of those of us from rural communities to not speak to that point. Tribalism and community is part and parcel of it. The Minister’s work on this is really welcome. We do not need it to the level they need it in the cities or larger towns. We need the projects of 20 to 40 houses and for there to be the capacity to carry a developer-led project which can come into the likes of Killimor or Portumna. They can connect up 40 to 60 houses until such time as there is the opportunity and capacity in Uisce Éireann to arrive on that site. That is what we are saying. I know I am not alone in that; it is what is experienced right across. We have good infrastructure in our roads, schools and health system – those are still there – but the minute there is an issue with one part of this fabric, we end up with an ageing population that needs a different dynamic of support.
I will speak hypothetically for a moment. I will not give the name of anything. I will share a story with the Minister which is probably a classic example of what he or others might experience. Imagine a leading town in the west, perhaps in Galway, where a builder-developer came along some years ago and engaged with a semi-State organisation. Part of that was that a design and plan could be put together and the whole planning process and development gone through. There would be a two-stage process whereby the site would be made shovel-ready before the houses were put on site and there would be urban regeneration on an entire area that had previously been green fields. Imagine that the project gets caught in judicial review and instead of getting permission to allow work for seven years the developer gets caught in the planning process, which takes over five years, and Covid lands and everything else, but it has cost €7.5 million to develop the site. This is in the city and involves approximately 470 units – I will not say what sort of units. Then the semi-State organisation comes along and says the developer only has a year and a half left. The developer tries to make progress and gets to a point where planning permission has been and they are ready to get shovels in the ground. When they ask the semi-State organisation if they can progress to stage 2 of the development, a new contract is required and there is a new set of fees. The developer has already paid the semi-State a holding fee to be able to do this and now they face having to pay a new fee for development. It is renegotiated and the semi-State says, “No”. That semi-State organisation has a reputation, not just in Galway. I cannot attempt to mention names or anything because it will go straight into arbitration and it will tie up those 484 units for a year or two years. That is the only site in Galway that has planning permission for development. The Minister said it here himself about developer-led infrastructure. It is the developer's own money, along with other units, to support the development of this project. Look at climate – it will be where people do not have to drive. There is a student population we do not have accommodation for. That developer is doing everything to tick the box. The Minister has it all addressed here because I know he must have heard similar stories based on how he has laid out his plans. I looked through his statement and actions 9, 15, 8, 20, 22 and 28 would address every single one of these. If this goes to arbitration we will be another two years before we can come out of it and then the planning permission would be running short.
My story is no different from anyone else’s. Unfortunately, we are chasing a runaway car and it is really hard to catch up.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:43+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-04