FUTURE SUPPLY OF KEY MATERIALS FOR HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE 

The Irish Concrete Federation (ICF) has published a new report which highlights critical challenges facing Ireland’s future supply of essential aggregates – crushed stone, sand and gravel – upon which the delivery of ambitious national programmes including Housing for All, the National Development Plan, and Project Ireland 2040 are highly dependent.

Titled “ESSENTIAL AGGREGATES – An Evidence-Based Assessment to Inform Ireland’s Planning Policy”, the report provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of Ireland’s aggregate supply pipeline and was commissioned by ICF and undertaken by RPS Consulting.

Aggregates such as sand, gravel and crushed rock are vital raw materials for the construction of essential development such as homes, schools, hospitals and energy, water and transport infrastructure.

ICF estimates that Ireland will require approximately one billion tonnes of aggregates between now and 2040 to meet societal demand. However, the report reveals that new planning authorisations for the continued extraction of aggregates are failing to keep pace with annual consumption and planning decisions for the extraction of these raw materials are now taking over four times longer than the statutory requirement.

“Ireland has natural reserves of high-quality aggregates, which are essential raw materials for Ireland’s future infrastructure requirements,” said ICF Chief Executive Officer, Gerry Farrell. “Yet current planning decision timelines and a lack of a coordinated policy on the long-term sustainable supply of aggregates will threaten Ireland’s ability to meet future demand for housing and infrastructure projects. On average, only 61% of annual consumption of aggregates is currently being replenished by means of new planning authorisations. At current levels of authorisation, that will fall to 52% over the 2025 – 2040 period as demand for aggregates increases due to Ireland’s growing population.”

The report has found that quarry planning decisions in 2024 took over four times longer than the statutory timeframe for such decisions. There is a statutory objective for planning applications to local authorities that are appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála to be decided on within 30 weeks.

“This Report found that quarry development applications from 2017 up to 2024, are delayed in the planning system for 91 weeks on average. In 2024 alone, decision making timeframes had increased to 129 weeks. Add in one year for the detailed pre-planning work required and the considerable expense involved, this unacceptable and costly delay can cause great uncertainty throughout the aggregate materials supply chain” added Mr Farrell.

“We are calling very clearly for the Government to act and make a National Policy Statement which recognises the national strategic importance of Ireland’s reserves of aggregates for the country’s future development. This will ensure that these raw materials, which are a finite resource and whose geographical location is fixed, are extracted in a sustainable and regulated manner compatible with the protection of the environment, heritage and quality of life of residents”.

The report also recommends:

Enhanced resources for local planning authorities and the newly established An Coimisiún Pleanála for training and education on aggregate extraction.
Greater alignment between national policy objectives and regional and local planning strategy for the supply of aggregates.

The Federation’s report says national strategic plans such as ‘Project Ireland 2040’ and ‘Housing for All’ will be highly dependent on a reliable supply of high-quality aggregates, and the government’s anticipated delivery of new infrastructure including its commitment to double the current annual delivery of new homes to 60,000 in the coming years, underlines the need for secure supplies of aggregates into the medium and longer term.

Allowing for population growth and increased demand, the pressure to supply authorised aggregates can only be expected to increase. The Office of the Planning Regulator has recently noted that: “Quarries and the extractive industry provide valuable sources of raw materials which are critical to the construction industry, infrastructure development and maintenance in particular.” The Report also concluded that “..changes in planning and environmental policies and expected growth in construction demand suggest a need for a more strategic approach to the extractive industry sector and development plan policies.”

It is incumbent therefore on the Government and the Minister for Planning to take the appropriate steps to safeguard this valuable and finite resource and ensure the efficient and sustainable supply of aggregates in the years and decades ahead.

The full report is available here:https://irishconcrete.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ICF_Essential_Aggregates_Report-2025-Final-GF.pdf

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Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine

Email: michael@irishconstruction.com      WWW.MCDMEDIA.IE