CIF Director for the Western and Midland Region Justin Molloy says a shortage of infrastructure and a planning system plagued by uncertainty lies at the heart of Ireland’s housing crisis
Ireland’s housing and infrastructure crisis is no secret, but are we truly responding as if it’s the emergency we claim it to be?
Across the country, from the west coast to the Midlands and beyond, essential housing projects are stalled – not because of a lack of demand or a shortage of willing builders, but because of chronic infrastructural deficits and a planning system that is widely seen as slow, costly, and unpredictable.
We are standing at a critical juncture.
Without bold, immediate, and decisive action, we risk falling further behind – socially, economically, and environmentally. If we genuinely acknowledge this as a crisis, then our actions must reflect that urgency.
One of the biggest barriers to progress is a lack of basic infrastructure. Zoned land lies idle simply because it cannot be connected to essential services.
This isn’t just a delay, it’s a full stop.
To change course, we must fundamentally rethink how critical infrastructure is delivered and integrated into our planning system, one that is currently unfit to meet the scale of the challenge.
Extraordinary times demand extraordinary solutions.
Meanwhile, the traditional small-scale builders – the backbone of housing delivery in towns and rural communities – are being squeezed out.
They cannot access financing without full planning permission, and they cannot get planning permission because the infrastructure isn’t in place. This has created a vicious cycle: no infrastructure, no planning, no finance, no homes.
We speak often of balanced regional development, of attracting Foreign Direct Investment, and of revitalising towns and villages. But none of that is possible unless people have a place to live.
At the heart of this crisis lies a twofold problem: a shortage of infrastructure and a planning system plagued by uncertainty.
Developers are forced to gamble on the outcome of planning applications, facing the real possibility of projects being derailed
by endless objections or judicial reviews.
This unpredictability undermines long-term strategic planning, inflates timelines by years, and adds significant cost that are inevitably passed on to homebuyers.
If we truly want to accelerate housing delivery, one crucial reform stands out: trust the development plan.
These plans are not drawn up overnight.
They undergo rigorous public consultation and detailed review before being adopted. When an application aligns with an approved development plan, there should be a reasonable expectation of approval.
Appeals should be the exception, not the rule. Development plans must become instruments of certainty.
Without that, we will continue to drive up costs, delay projects, and choke supply, a luxury we cannot afford in the middle of a crisis.
We need to say this clearly and repeatedly: you cannot build homes without infrastructure.
Water, wastewater, and electricity are not optional. They are fundamental. Without them, our housing targets are meaningless. This crisis isn’t the result of chance.
It is the outcome of avoidable decisions and systemic inertia. We are tripping over our own red tape. It’s time to act with clarity and conviction. We have the land. We have the builders. We have the demand. We have the talent.
What we need now is a mindset that matches the scale of the challenge, a mindset that treats this crisis like the emergency it is.
Justin Molloy is the CIF’s Director for the Western and Midland Region, covering Galway, Donegal, the North West and Midlands
