Full coverage: Planning

Uncertainty over planning permission is a fact of life in our system, and it causes problems. In Europe, they do it differently.

Ireland’s cities are burdened by a persistent shortage of space of all kinds, especially residential. Plus, given the country’s need to go carbon-neutral over the coming decades, Ireland can - and should - go tall.

While it’s a necessary part of business planning, forecasting has become abnormally challenging of late as we are at the mercy of consumer confidence. And that is becoming increasingly more volatile.

Sustainable building materials, carbon-neutral homes and quality housing represent one sector where Ireland could set the global pace for the implementation of new technologies. All we need is a designated experimental town.