Uisce Éireann has welcomed the publication of the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan by Minister Jack Chambers, T.D., which outlines tangible reforms aimed at addressing the barriers to infrastructure delivery across Ireland.
Uisce Éireann supported the work of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce through CEO Niall Gleeson, who was a member of the Taskforce, and Uisce Éireann secondee, Angela Ryan, both of whose expertise and commitment have contributed to the development of the report.
The water company said the recommendations made by the Taskforce on many of the areas highlighted by Uisce Éireann as barriers — particularly in relation to the complex regulatory and approvals process required to navigate when delivering critical water infrastructure — are especially welcome.
The Action Plan addresses the 12 barriers to infrastructure development that were highlighted in the Report on Stakeholder Consultation and Engagement with Emerging Themes on Infrastructure, published in July.
Thirty specific, time-bound measures have been designed to remove barriers. These actions represent a transformative approach to streamlining development processes and significantly reducing delivery timelines.
The Report outlines four pillars within which reform actions fall:
- Legal Reform;
- Regulatory Reform and Simplification;
- Co-ordination and Delivery Reform; and
- Public Acceptance
Delivery of water infrastructure projects currently requires multiple steps including route and site selection processes, land acquisition (by agreement and/or via compulsory purchase orders), planning consent, marine area regulatory consents and wastewater discharge licences/water abstraction licences.
Most of these approvals must go through separate and often non-consecutive approvals processes, all of which can add to the time it takes to delivery essential projects. Uisce Éireann has long advocated for a streamlining and simplification of the multiple consents required, in addition to prioritisation of Uisce Éireann applications.
Welcoming the report, Niall Gleeson commented:
“The comprehensive, time-bound measures set out in the Action Plan represent a welcome approach to streamlining this process, and we are encouraged by the focus on practical implementation and cross-sectoral collaboration. We remain committed to supporting the ongoing work of the Taskforce and to playing our part in ensuring that these reforms translate into real and lasting benefits for communities nationwide.
"Uisce Éireann looks forward to continued collaboration with all stakeholders as we work together to deliver the essential water and wastewater infrastructure that supports housing and growth and underpins Ireland’s future.”
Click here to download the report in full
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