Fingal County Council restructures to accelerate housing and infrastructure delivery
New directorates for housing, planning and infrastructure align council resources with population growth and housing targets
6 January 2026
Fingal County Council has announced changes to its senior organisational structure, establishing standalone Housing, Planning, and Infrastructure and Transport directorates in response to rapid population growth and increased housing and infrastructure demands.
Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly said the changes are designed to maintain Fingal’s delivery record while scaling up capacity to meet national housing and transport targets. The restructuring includes the appointment of a new Director of Service and a realignment of responsibilities across key functions.
Senior Planner Róisín Burke has been appointed Director of Planning and Development. The new Planning and Development Directorate will be responsible for planning policy, development management, land activation priorities and the identification of infrastructure constraints. Ms Burke previously led the team that delivered the Fingal Development Plan 2023–2029 and has worked with Galway County Council, Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council since joining in 2008.
Matthew McAleese, currently Director of Planning and Strategic Infrastructure, will lead the new Infrastructure and Transport Directorate. The directorate will focus on accelerating delivery of enabling infrastructure to unlock housing and employment lands, alongside major public transport projects including Metrolink and BusConnects.
A standalone Housing Directorate is also being established, led by Paul Carroll, Director of Housing and Community Development. It will oversee the council’s Housing Delivery Strategy
and Plan, manage increased delivery volumes and ensure operational and financial efficiency
across housing programmes.
As part of the reorganisation, the Community Development Division will move from Housing into the Economic, Enterprise, Tourism and Cultural Development Department, aligning it more closely with the Local Economic and Community Development Committee.
Ms Farrelly said Fingal has been set a target of delivering 44,406 homes over the next 15 years under the revised National Planning Framework and Housing Growth Guidelines, with more than 70% required within the next decade.
She said meeting that target will require housing delivery to be matched by accelerated investment in transport and utilities, adding that the new structure is intended to ensure infrastructure delivery keeps pace with growth and supports sustainable, well-served communities.
