Land Use Review Calls for National Governance Framework as Ireland Balances Housing, Climate and Food Production
Final Phase 2 report recommends new Land Use Taskforce to coordinate competing demands across housing, infrastructure, agriculture, biodiversity and climate policy
7 July 2026 | editor@breakingground.news
The Government has published the final report of Phase 2 of Ireland’s National Land Use Review, setting out a long-term evidence base for how the State could better manage competing demands for land as it seeks to deliver housing, critical infrastructure, food production, climate action and biodiversity restoration.
While the report, A Living Land, is not Government policy and has not been adopted as a national land use strategy, it represents the most comprehensive assessment to date of how Ireland’s finite land resource may need to evolve to meet climate neutrality by 2050 while supporting economic and social development.
For the development and infrastructure sector, the most significant recommendation is the creation of a national land use governance framework supported by a new Land Use Taskforce. The proposed body would be jointly chaired by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with senior representation from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and other public bodies.
The proposed framework aims to improve coordination across Government departments where land use decisions overlap, examining how Ireland can optimise land to simultaneously support housing delivery, sustainable food production, climate adaptation, nature restoration, water quality improvements and wider socio-economic objectives.
The report acknowledges that approximately 80% of Ireland’s land is privately owned, meaning future land use change will depend largely on decisions made by landowners rather than the State. It also highlights the continued importance of Ireland’s agri-food sector, which contributes exports worth approximately €21 billion annually, while recognising increasing pressure to deliver environmental commitments alongside economic growth.
Rather than prescribing a preferred future, A Living Land presents a range of academic scenarios illustrating how different land use pathways could contribute towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The report stresses that these are illustrative models designed to inform policy rather than represent Government decisions.
For planners, developers and infrastructure providers, one of the more practical recommendations is continued investment in national geospatial mapping and land evidence systems. Phase 2 builds on work undertaken since the first review in 2023 through improved mapping, data synthesis and analysis, with further development of fine-grained national land use datasets identified as a priority for future planning and decision-making.
The report recommends expanding the work of the existing Land Evidence Forum to coordinate mapping, spatial data and evidence development across Government. Existing datasets, including the National Land Cover Map and Forestry Opportunities Map, are expected to be further developed to support future land use decisions.
The publication also highlights the role of public land in delivering multiple policy objectives. Among the examples cited are Bord na Móna’s rehabilitation of 24,500 hectares of peatlands, described as one of the world’s largest peatland restoration programmes, alongside continued restoration by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and native afforestation initiatives supported through the Forestry Programme.
Alongside the main report, Government published four supporting evidence studies examining public land, private finance, barriers to agricultural land use change and the historical development of land use in Ireland. The private finance review identifies opportunities for greater investment in nature restoration and sustainable land management, while noting that stronger coordination, clearer policy signals and improved spatial data will be required to attract institutional capital.
Another supporting report identifies financial pressures, administrative complexity, regulatory uncertainty, succession issues and cultural attitudes as among the principal barriers preventing wider adoption of multifunctional land use practices by farmers and landowners. It recommends stronger incentives, simplified administration, improved advisory services and greater place-based engagement to support land use transition.
The report also concludes that land use governance must increasingly account for climate resilience, noting that future storms, flooding and drought will influence how land is managed while nature-based solutions will become increasingly important in adapting to climate impacts.
The publication of A Living Land fulfils a commitment contained in the Programme for Government 2025, following Phase 1 of the National Land Use Review, which was completed in 2023 under the leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency. The report was prepared by an independent Oversight Group chaired by former Department Secretary General Geraldine Tallon following engagement with technical experts, stakeholders and a Citizen Engagement Working Group.
Although the report has not been adopted as Government policy, Ministers have confirmed that a Land Use Taskforce will now be established to begin progressing its central recommendation of a coordinated national governance framework for future land use planning.
