Irish Examiner view: Review must get Ireland going again

We need to find a way to cut down the seemingly intractable delays to strategic infrastructure development projects

There are widespread concerns that excessive, expensive delays to SID projects might undermine the State’s delivery of the National Development Plan. Stock picture

In recent years, there have been protracted, expensive delays to the delivery of many key strategic infrastructure development (SID) projects — just look at such as the M20, the N6, the Galway Ring Road, the N28, the Dublin Metro, the National Children’s Hospital, and the National Broadband Plan.

In response to these delays, the Government has asked the Attorney General’s Office to undertake a review of the planning legislation to identify how these could best be reduced. However, recent events have also highlighted that it’s not just the planning system that is contributing to these delays.