The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) National Crane Count has highlighted a concerningly low number of cranes located outside of the Dublin region.
New figures showing that regional crane counts are not even 10% of those in Dublin, demonstrating a lack of construction activity outside the capital.
Crane count figures show that 123 cranes were visible in Dublin city in March, but when compared to crane counts from other cities in Ireland the difference is stark.
According to construction consultancy firm, AECOM, Ireland’s most recent crane count from March, show there are seven cranes in Cork city, with just 2 in Limerick city and 2 in Galway city.
CIF are deeply concerned about the disparity between the crane counts, as they show a distinct lack of construction activity and growth in regional parts of Ireland.
Conor O’Connell, CIF Southern Regional Director said: “As expected, there are more tower cranes in operation in Dublin than any other urban centre in Ireland. At this stage in our economic cycle, after several years of economic growth in most sectors of the economy in most regions, there should be far greater construction and development taking place outside Dublin.
“We should ensure that our policy across all areas of the economy is “stress tested” for regional flexibility. For instance, how can we produce residential units at the current market prices in regional towns across Ireland? How can we connect the clusters of industry all over Ireland together in a more efficient manner?”
