LIMERICK Chamber is warning that underused national assets in the Mid West are being constrained by delayed delivery.
In its submission to Government as part of Budget 2027, the Chamber said Ireland cannot continue to concentrate growth, infrastructure pressure, and housing demand in areas already operating at capacity.
The submission, Unlocking the Mid-West’s Capacity for National Competitiveness, said the region has the assets Ireland needs for its next phase of growth, including Shannon Airport, Shannon Foynes Port, the Shannon Estuary, world-class higher education institutions, strategic industrial land, and an ambitious enterprise base.
However the business representative organisation said the region lacks the infrastructure, housing supply, mobility investment, and delivery certainty required to fully activate them.
In its submission, the Chamber set out five priority interventions for Budget 2027, including an enterprise competitiveness package, housing delivery acceleration, city and town centre activation, an integrated Mid West Mobility Programme, and a Shannon Estuary National Energy Programme.
Limerick Chamber President Maria Gleeson said that “Budget 2027 is a moment of choice. Government can either equip Ireland’s regions to deliver the growth the country needs or it can allow capacity to sit idle while pressure keeps mounting in places that are already full”.
“The Mid West is not asking for a favour. This is not a question of regional fairness. It is a question of national economic efficiency. When growth, investment, and infrastructure demand are forced into the East, costs rise for everyone, housing pressure deepens, and congestion intensifies. At the same time, real capacity in the Mid West remains underused.”
Chamber CEO Donnacha Hurley said that “the cost of doing business is now one of the biggest threats to Irish competitiveness. Our members are dealing with rising labour costs, energy costs, commercial rates, insurance, compliance, and regulatory pressures. For many firms, these are not marginal increases, they are the difference between investing, hiring and expanding, or delaying decisions.”
“Our June 2026 Business Sentiment Survey shows that 51 per cent of businesses faced operating cost increases of more than 10 per cent over the past year. Energy and payroll costs remain among the most significant concerns for members, and almost one-third of businesses have already delayed planned investment. That is a warning signal for Government.”
Sean Golden, chief economist at Limerick Chamber, added: “The data is unambiguous. Housing is now the single biggest competitiveness barrier facing the Mid West. Our June 2026 Business Sentiment Survey shows that 70 per cent of businesses identify housing availability and affordability as the greatest barrier to competitiveness.”
“Just 36 per cent of homes with planning permission in Limerick have commenced. That leaves 5,610 permitted homes not yet started. Budget 2027 must focus on activating that pipeline. The State should be asking why homes with permission are not being built, and then using targeted funding, infrastructure support and viability measures to get them delivered.”