According to a spokesperson, "in relation to the timescales involved, the Board has put in place systems to prioritise and avoid undue delays in the planning stage of these projects."

For example, the average time taken to formally decide Local Authority projects in 2003 was 26 weeks. In 2005 it was 22 weeks. Many of these projects would previously have taken two years at planning stage, and this progress has been recognised by others involved in the process.

For example, Peter Malone, chairman of the National Roads Authority, is quoted as saying that "the approval process, which is now the responsibility of An Bord Pleanala, has reduced the process from around 2 years to six months."

Of course, there have been some delays which have come as a result of legal challenges to decisions on major infrastructure cases after the decisions have been made . . . but in terms of the overall process, the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act is intended to streamline the process even more.