Businessman blasts Ireland’s ‘outdated’ planning laws

Irish businessman Pat McDonagh has claimed that Ireland’s “outdated” planning laws are holding up investment into Galway.

Mr McDonagh, who founded the Supermac’s fast food franchise, told the Sunday Business Post that the planning system is a “disaster” and investment was being held up by “vexatious” objections.

He said this, along with Galway’s traffic problems, was stymieing foreign investment and needs to be urgently addressed by the Government.

Mr McDonagh said the two factors had the potential to negatively impact investment into Galway for at least a decade.