Regional Assembly Raises Concerns Over Substantial Infrastructure Deficits and Funding Shortfall for the Southern Region
The Southern Regional Assembly has raised significant concerns regarding the regional distribution of planned infrastructure investment under the current National Development Plan (NDP), which has resulted , in a €14 billion funding shortfall for the Southern Region. The Assembly is calling for this imbalance to be addressed as a matter of urgency as part of the National Development Plan (NDP) Review.
David Kelly, Director of the Southern Regional Assembly, reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to Project Ireland 2040, highlighting its potential to address Ireland’s most pressing spatial, societal, economic, and environmental challenges. However, he highlighted that planned investment under NDP has not totally aligned with objectives of the National Planning Framework with regards to balanced regional development.
“The Southern Regional Assembly strongly supports the Project Ireland 2040 process, as it presents us with a unique opportunity to address critical issues facing Ireland over the next 20 years. Under the current NDP, our Region has benefited from investment in key projects across a range of sectors. However, the scale and ambition of committed capital investment does not address the marked deficiencies we have in key infrastructure areas, nor does it reflect the ambitions for our Region under the National Planning Framework.”
Analysis undertaken by the Assembly shows significant and embedded nonalignment between policy and investment. Despite accounting for 33% of current population and future growth to 2040, the Region only accounts for 17% of planned investment under the current NDP. If funding for the Southern Region were proportional to that committed to the Eastern and Midland region, this would result in an additional €14 billion (120%) in planned capital expenditure.
This imbalance in investment is compounded by pronounced infrastructure deficits. The EU Commission’s Regional Competitiveness Index has ranked the Southern Region in the bottom 15% of all 234 regions across the EU 27 regarding infrastructure provision, with a scoring of 51. This contrasts with the Eastern and Midland Region which ranks above the EU average with a scoring 115.
Mr Kelly added “This analysis demonstrates that investment under the NDP has not aligned with or supported NPF objectives for regional parity to date, nor has it sought to address the more pronounced infrastructure deficits evident in the Southern Region. The Project Ireland 2040 process, including national targets related to climate change, sustainable growth and regional development will not succeed unless these imbalances are addressed”.
The Southern Regional Assembly has called for the Revised National Development Plan to be strengthened significantly to address the current lack of alignment between the objective for Regional Parity and the structural and funding model required to achieve it.
Cllr. Ken Murnane, Cathaoirleach of the Southern Regional Assembly, states:
“The Southern Region has an enormous amount of untapped potential. The realisation of this potential through meaningful capital investment would achieve the stated objective of providing an effective counterbalance to the greater Dublin area, and would also have significant long term societal, economic and environmental benefits. It is critical that the Revised NDP fully reflects this ambition and that the necessary resources are provided to enable the ambition to be realised.”
The Southern Regional Assembly’s submission to the National Development Review can be viewed here: https://southernassembly.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SRA-Submission-to-NDP-Review-Consultation_June-2025_FINAL.pdf
Notes to Editor
For further information or media enquiries please contact:
David Kelly, Director, Southern Regional Assembly
Email: dkelly@southernassembly.ie
The Southern Regional Assembly has prepared the enclosed submission to the Consultation on the National Development Plan Review for 2026 – 2035. The purpose of the submission is to assist Government in ensuring that the strategic priorities for Region are fully considered in the revised NDP so that the Region can realise it’s full potential and deliver upon the objectives set out as part of Project Ireland 2040.
About the Southern Regional Assembly
The Southern Regional Assembly works to promote sustainable development and regional cooperation across Ireland’s Southern Region, encompassing the Metropolitan Areas of Cork, Limerick-Shannon, and Waterford, alongside numerous towns, villages, and rural communities.
Based in Waterford city, the Southern Regional Assembly is the regional tier of government in Ireland with a remit for the Southern Region. The Southern Region covers the local authorities of Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Cork City, Cork County, Kerry, Clare and Limerick. The Regional Assembly has 34 Members representing the ten local authorities at regional level, 27 appointed by their local authority and six as Committee of the Regions Members.
The Regional Assembly forges links between EU, national and local levels through regional spatial and economic planning and European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) for the benefit of the Southern Region. It is responsible for strategic regional and economic planning and supporting balanced, sustainable regional development by:
- Leading the implementation of the Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy (RSES).
- Promoting balanced regional development through the management of, support for, and involvement in European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded programmes and projects.
- Linking local, regional, national and EU policy goals through regional planning and EU regional development.