Limerick Chamber hits out that ‘policy support without funding is not enough’ for Limerick-Shannon future

“IF Government is serious about balanced regional development, the Mid West needs a fairer share of capital investment and a delivery-first approach to housing, transport, energy, healthcare, and city-centre regeneration. Policy support without funding is not enough. Funding without delivery is not enough either.” Those were the strong words from Limerick Chamber CEO Donnacha Hurley, responding to the Southern Regional Assembly’s Issues Paper consultation. In a submission to the Assembly, the Chamber pointed out that the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area has “the assets, population base, and enterprise strength to make a far greater contribution to national growth” but its potential “will only be realised if infrastructure delivery, investment sequencing, and accountability are placed at the heart” of the revised Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) and Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (LSMASP). The Chamber said its submission highlights the need for a prioritised capital investment schedule for the Mid West and Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area, covering transport, housing, water services, energy, ports, aviation, city-centre regeneration, education, healthcare, justice and enabling utilities. The business representative organisation also hit out that the next RSES and LSMASP should “move beyond high-level ambition and become a delivery-led capital investment network for the Mid West”. The Chamber said the region has experienced “persistent delays in the delivery of strategic infrastructure, including major transport projects, housing-enabling infrastructure, grid capacity, wastewater treatment, renewable energy infrastructure, city-centre regeneration, and access to logistics hubs”. It also raised concerns over “regional investment disparity”, claiming the Limerick-Shannon area receives “the lowest per capita committed capital funding of Ireland’s five metropolitan areas”, which is “constraining housing delivery, business confidence, competitiveness, and balanced regional development”. Chamber CEO Donnacha Hurley said the region “is home to nationally significant assets, including Shannon Airport, Shannon Foynes Port, the Shannon Estuary, Limerick City, our universities, and major employment centres. These should not be treated as regional add-ons; they are national growth enablers.” “Limerick and the wider Mid West cannot afford another strategy that sets ambitious targets without the appropriate investment, delivery structures, and accountability needed to achieve them. “The next RSES must be infrastructure-led from the outset, with clear timelines, named delivery bodies and annual monitoring of progress.” The Chamber said its submission also highlights housing as a major barrier to recruitment, retention, and business across the Mid West, and calls for a “specific housing-enabling programme for Limerick-Shannon, including serviced-land audits, brownfield activation, compact-growth delivery tables, and stronger support for viable apartment and city-centre development”. On transport, the submission calls for the RSES and LSMASP to move from strategy to delivery, with clear support for BusConnects Limerick, metropolitan rail, Moyross Station, Ballysimon Station, Colbert Station regeneration, Limerick-Foynes rail, improved access to Shannon Airport, and strategic road upgrades including the N/M20 Cork-Limerick and N21/N69 connectivity. The Chamber also called for Shannon Foynes Port and the Shannon Estuary to be placed at the centre of Ireland’s renewable energy, offshore wind, floating offshore wind, green hydrogen, energy security ,and industrial decarbonisation strategy. It suggested the establishment of a plan-led framework (Strategic Energy and Renewables Accelerator Ireland) to position the Shannon Estuary as “Ireland’s leading co-location green energy park and clean industrial cluster” and aid in aligning spatial and energy planning, enterprise policy, port investment, grid and gas infrastructure, industrial land activation, skills development, and State supports. Mr Hurley said “the Shannon Estuary represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Ireland. With the right planning, infrastructure, and investment framework, it can become a national and European energy hub, supporting offshore wind, green industry, energy security and long-term employment. But opportunity does not deliver itself. The RSES must identify the infrastructure, governance, and investment mechanisms needed to turn that potential into projects, jobs and regional value.” The post Limerick Chamber hits out that ‘policy support without funding is not enough’ for Limerick-Shannon future appeared first on Limerick Post.