Key infrastructural projects, such as the proposed motorway linking Dublin to Cork, need to be "fast-tracked" to speed up implementation of the National Development Plan, according to the employers' body, IBEC.
Mr Brendan Butler, IBEC's enterprise director, said the State's "dismal track record in relation to planning delays and NIMBY culture" was undermining the development of infrastructure to cater for a growing economy.
He cited the 12-year delay from inception to completion of the Dublin Port Tunnel as a "classic" example of the problem and complained that five years had been set aside to plan its extension, the proposed Eastern Bypass motorway.
Regulations had still not been published to bring into force much of last year's Planning Act which set out to streamline the system. "We have yet to see any visible evidence that the new legislation will make a substantial difference," he said.
"Ever-increasing congestion, the scale of our infrastructural deficit, the housing crisis and the need for ongoing industrial development make it imperative that the Government acts quickly in implementing the new planning legislation in full."
According to Mr Butler there were also questions about whether An Bord Pleanala was able to cope with the number of planning appeals already on its books, with evidence emerging of longer-than-usual delays in delivering decisions.
He said IBEC was proposing a five-point plan to tackle the State's "infrastructure crisis", including the establishment of special project teams to deliver major schemes. These would use foreign contractors and construction workers if necessary.
For major road projects, he said, single contracts should be awarded "rather than a plethora of smaller contracts" and the Government should introduce legislation to fast-track strategic projects such as the Cork-Dublin motorway.
IBEC also favoured placing more reliance on public-private partnerships as they had made a major contribution to infrastructural development.
