The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) welcomed the government’s Housing Plan 2025 and its strong emphasis on investment in infrastructure, tackling vacancy and dereliction and accelerating delivery through new urban communities, but warned that a more comprehensive action is needed to eliminate waste caused by the planning and procurement systems.

Review how public projects are progressed

The RIAI called on the government to review how public projects are progressed through procurement processes and to remove unnecessary red tape to avoid projects stalling at various stages of approval.

“Burdensome bureaucracy has delayed infrastructure for decades in Ireland. Urgent action is needed to eliminate the wasted time and effort in getting projects to site. Better forward planning will support in providing more certainty in the system, but if we’re to expedite the delivery of infrastructure, then the reform of the public procurement process must also be a priority,” said Sean Mahon, president of the RIAI.

The RIAI welcomed commitments to expand the Living Cities Initiative, to increase the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs), and deliver New Urban Communities to coordinate housing and infrastructure delivery at scale.

“Homing in on dereliction and vacancy is an effective way to increase housing stock while revitalising our towns and cities. The new Derelict Property Tax and the expanded Living Cities Initiative can help unlock land, revitalise towns and cities and support sustainable, well-connected growth while maximising existing infrastructure”.

Sustainable, adaptable neighbourhoods

However, the RIAI is concerned that the Plan gives limited attention to design quality and the vital role of architects in delivering sustainable, adaptable neighbourhoods that deliver long-term value for all.

“We welcome the progress on housing activation, but the delivery of homes must be in the context of creating healthy communities and neighbourhoods that work for people both now and in the future,” said Mahon.

“Architects bring the design and problem-solving expertise needed to deliver housing that is efficient, sustainable, and built to last. The living environments created by these new homes must be a focus – well-designed living environments create communities and support social cohesion. The government has a responsibility to set the ambition and ensure that this ambition is communicated, resourced and delivered. Design quality and a focus on the whole built environment must be central to delivery if Ireland is to create truly liveable communities.”

The RIAI is available to engage with ministers, departments and all stakeholders to support changes that will improve quality and speed up delivery. As architects, we remain committed to helping meet Ireland’s housing needs by ensuring we build not only more homes, but more enduring, inclusive and sustainable places and homes that deliver real long-term value for our people.