In an interview with Irish Construction News, Castlethorn’s Ronan Columb, group managing director, advised if Ireland wants higher, sustained housing output, the private sector’s build capacity must be matched by faster implementation across public bodies, alongside enabling infrastructure and predictable planning timelines.
Ireland has, in parallel, established new mechanisms intended to accelerate delivery. The Housing Activation Office (HAO), sitting within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is linked to the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF), described by the Government as a €1 billion fund for infrastructure intended to unlock housing at scale.
For developers and delivery partners, the HAO/HIIF approach matters because it centres housing supply on a measurable bottleneck: infrastructure capacity (roads, water, wastewater, power and transport links) rather than housing demand alone.
Why “Policy to Implementation” Is Now a Delivery Constraint
In the interview, Columb describes a recurring gap between policy announcements and outcomes on the ground. “The most important thing for us now is to see that the policies that the government is activating are implemented, and implemented swiftly,” he said.
In practical terms, implementation speed affects:
- When sites can connect to utilities networks
- How quickly planning conditions and technical approvals are processed
- How efficiently enabling infrastructure is funded, procured and delivered
- Whether planning permissions proceed without prolonged legal uncertainty
Despite these constraints, Castlethorn proudly leads in this area, delivering housing across multiple large sites, with around 3,500 homes on site and projected to rise to about 4,000 in the near term.
Large-Scale Placemaking Changes the Delivery Model
Columb places “placemaking” at the centre of Castlethorn’s operating model, particularly where developments run to thousands of homes.
At scale, residential delivery typically requires parallel delivery of:
- Physical infrastructure: roads, bridges, site access routes, utilities networks, drainage capacity and public realm works
- Social infrastructure: school sites, childcare provision, parks, neighbourhood retail and community facilities
Castlethorn’s Adamstown is an example of infrastructure-led delivery, including delivery of a rail station and significant enabling works.
The Irish Construction News article reported,
“This is the kind of project where Castlethorn truly excels, a territory that may be new for some later market entrants but is deeply ingrained in the company’s heritage. Its involvement in Adamstown, a significant SDZ (Strategic Development Zone), serves as a prime example.
Acquired unzoned in the late 90s, Castlethorn guided the lands through the entire planning process, co-creating the Local Area Plan (LAP) and SDZ in conjunction with South Dublin County Council. Crucially, Castlethorn was responsible for the delivery of key physical and social infrastructure.”
Columb goes on to explain how the Adamstown project involved spending €100m on infrastructure to enable Castlethorn to produce the units. This included building the local railway station and provisions and planning for a secondary school, two primary schools, and creches.
Quick Reference: What Is a SDZ and LAP in Irish Construction?
- Strategic Development Zone (SDZ): a designated area with fast-tracked planning frameworks intended to support coordinated development.
- Local Area Plan (LAP): a local planning document guiding land use, density, infrastructure and phasing.
Case Study: PANCR Drogheda and the “Infrastructure First” Multiplier Effect
One of the most concrete delivery examples is the Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR) in Drogheda, Co. Louth. This project featured a collaborative model with the local authority and the Housing Infrastructure Services Company (HISCo).
“From the first day we mooted it with the local authority to the day we cut the ribbon and opened the road, I think it was probably no more than 24 months,” Columb explained.
The PANCR Phase One was completed in March 2024, framing it as enabling infrastructure for up to 5,000 new homes in North Drogheda.
How Infrastructure Unlocks Housing Capacity Beyond a Single Developer
Columb also describes an output “multiplier” around enabling infrastructure, where delivery by one large builder helps unlock nearby sites for other builders. In the interview, he states that for every 100 Castlethorn homes delivered locally, at least another 100 are delivered by smaller developers nearby.
This is a specific example of how public–private collaboration on enabling infrastructure can widen supply capacity across an area, because the constraint is often not demand, but access and serviceability.
Planning Certainty and Judicial Reviews: What Changed in Ireland’s Framework
Planning risk and timeline uncertainty are recurring constraints for large residential schemes—particularly apartments and higher-density development.
Columb describes judicial review risk (JR) as a driver of higher costs and delayed progress, noting the pressure created by the possibility of JR challenges and the increased cost of preparing planning applications.
→ Judicial reviews in this context are a High Court challenge that tests whether a planning decision (such as a grant or refusal of permission) was made lawfully and with fair procedures — it examines the process and legal basis, not the planning merits.
Legislative and Policy Reforms Referenced by Government
Government publications now describe changes intended to strengthen judicial review processes to make them “faster, fairer, and more transparent”, pointing to reforms within the Planning and Development Act 2024 and subsequent measures.
Separately, legal analysis of amendments highlights “stopping the clock” provisions relating to the duration of planning permissions while JR proceedings are ongoing.
Why this matters for delivery capacity:
- If JR-related delays extend timelines unpredictably, the cost of capital, project overheads and resourcing can rise.
- Where permissions may expire during challenges (or require complex extensions), delivery sequencing becomes harder to manage.
- Changes aimed at clarity and timing can reduce uncertainty if implemented consistently and resourced appropriately.
Utilities Collaboration Improves to Aid Housing Delivery
Columb told Irish Construction News that he has seen a positive change in how utilities engage with developers over the past 12 months, describing a shift from protecting the network to finding ways to provide access.
For housing delivery, utilities access typically affects:
- Connection timelines (power and water/wastewater)
- Phasing (when blocks or streets can be occupied)
- Cost certainty (late-stage redesigns or temporary solutions)
Because utilities are essential prerequisites for occupation, improved engagement can accelerate practical completion timelines, but the benefit depends on consistent execution across regions, sites and connection types.
Modern Methods Of Construction: Where Productivity Gains are Being Targeted
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in Ireland refer to building systems that are largely manufactured off‑site, then assembled on‑site, to improve consistency, speed and sustainability across a home’s life‑cycle. MMC is positioned in the interview as a productivity lever, with Castlethorn using a hybrid approach:
- Houses: advanced timber frame manufactured off-site and assembled rapidly
- Apartments: precast concrete systems fabricated off-site and assembled on site
Columb describes a specific speed benefit: “Once a timber frame house is erected, roofed, and windowed, a weatherproof shell is achieved within a week.”
However, one key challenge in this context is external finishing and scaffolding. As a time and cost bottleneck on site, there is a search for MMC solutions that remove the need for scaffolding on external façades to improve sequencing and reduce time on site.
Why “time on site” is a material cost driver:
- Site preliminaries (management, security, logistics, plant, temporary works) accrue over time.
- Longer scaffolding periods can restrict access for groundworks and follow-on trades.
- Shortening on-site duration can reduce overhead exposure and improve delivery certainty—particularly on multi-phase developments.
Sustainability Delivery Claims
Sustainability is a long-running part of Castlethorn’s delivery approach. Actively participating in Sustainability Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) “House of Tomorrow”, Castlethorn is familiar with delivering NZEB-standard housing.
The SEAI provides guidance and supports programmes to improve energy efficiency and accelerate the transition to sustainable energy. Its House of Tomorrow is a research, development and demonstration programme designed to encourage and test improved energy performance in Irish housing, helping bring new approaches, technologies and practices into mainstream delivery.
Complementing the SEAI, NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) is an EU-backed standard under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. This requires high energy performance and low energy demand — with the remaining energy needing covered to a very significant extent by renewable energy generated on-site or nearby.
In Ireland, the SEAI notes NZEB applies to new buildings occupied after 31 December 2020 (with transitional arrangements). NZEB delivery typically involves a strong building fabric (insulation/airtightness), efficient building services and integrated renewables to reduce overall primary energy demand.
Columb emphasises: “We have always felt that it was part of our role to innovate and get ahead of the regulations,” and that future homes will be delivered to a higher sustainability standard than current regulations require.
Learn more about Sustainability in Construction’s key concepts and certifications →
How Private-Sector Delivery Models Impact Ireland’s Housing System
Across the interview, several repeatable delivery requirements are made explicit:
- Large-scale housing output depends on enabling infrastructure, delivered early enough to unlock multiple sites and phases (illustrated by PANCR Drogheda).
- Policy announcements must translate into operational change across local authorities, utilities and departments—an implementation theme aligned with the stated purpose of the Housing Activation Office and infrastructure funds.
- Planning certainty and legal timelines influence viability, particularly for higher-density delivery, with Government now pointing to JR reforms in the Planning and Development Act framework.
- MMC gains are measurable where they shorten critical path activities, but next-step innovation must protect project viability and reduce delivery time on site.
Columb closes the Irish Construction News interview with a direct statement on system pace: “The ball is now firmly in the court of the intermediary state bodies to adopt the ‘can-do’ mindset and match the industry’s urgency.”
About Ronan Columb, Group Managing Director at Castlethorn
Ronan Columb was appointed as Group Managing Director in 2023 and leads the company’s overall operations and business strategy. He joined Castlethorn in 2004 as construction manager and was promoted to construction director in 2007, with responsibility for construction and quantity surveying delivery across the business.
His credentials and career background include:
- 14 years at Walls Construction, including senior management roles prior to joining Castlethorn.
- An Honours Degree in Construction Economics and a Diploma in Construction.
- Chartered Builder and Construction Manager (MCIOB) membership status with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), a recognised professional body in construction leadership and management.
Columb is also an active public contributor to sector discussion and policy-focused forums, including appearing as a witness at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage (4 November 2025), where Castlethorn provided evidence on housing delivery barriers. He has been listed as a speaker at major industry events such as the IHBA Housebuilding Summit and the Ibec Property Industry Ireland Conference, reinforcing his role as a senior delivery and policy stakeholder in Ireland’s residential development sector.
