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Press Statement

Preasráiteas

11 March 2022

Press Statement Planning Permissions Quarter 4 2021

Planning permissions granted for 42,991 dwelling units in 2021, up 1.5% on 2020
  • A total of 26,272 apartments were granted planning permission in 2021, an increase of 6.5% on the previous year
  • There were 18,908 apartments granted planning permission in Dublin in 2021
  • The number of houses granted planning permission decreased annually for the third year in a row
  • Planning permissions granted for 7,499 one-off houses, up 41.7% on the previous year and the highest since 2009
  • The number of multi-development houses granted planning permission declined by 25.7% in the year
  • The total number of planning permission approvals granted for all developments in Q4 2021 was 7,222

Go to release: Planning Permissions Quarter 4 2021

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (11 March 2022) released Planning Permissions Quarter 4 2021.

Commenting on the data, Statistician Seán Clancy said: “The number of new dwellings granted planning permission grew by 1.5% in 2021 when compared with 2020.

In 2020, for the first time, more apartments than houses were granted planning permission on an annual basis, a trend which has continued in 2021. The number of apartments granted approval in 2021 was 26,272, compared with 16,719 houses.

Of the 16,719 houses granted planning permission in 2021, 44.9% were one-off houses and 55.1% were multi-development houses. The number of one-off houses granted planning permission rose by 41.7% annually, by contrast the number of multi-development houses granted approval declined by 25.7%.

In 2021, the region with the highest number of apartment units granted planning permission was Dublin with 18,908, while the border region (made up of Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo) with 109 apartment units had the lowest. The county with the most houses granted planning permission was Cork with 2,189, while Leitrim had the lowest with 74 houses.

In 2021, 72.8% of apartments granted planning permission were via Strategic Housing Development (SHD) applications. This is where applications for developments of at least 100 residential units or 200-plus student bed spaces can be made directly to An Bord Pleanála. A total of 7,139 new apartments and 2,303 new housing units were granted planning permission via SHD applications in 2021.

The total number of planning permission approvals granted for all developments in Q4 2021 was 7,222 compared with 7,017 in Q4 2020, an increase of 2.9%. Of this, 32.6% of permissions were for new dwellings, 27.1% for other new constructions and 40.3% for extensions, alterations & conversions."

 

For further information contact:

Seán Clancy (+353) 21 453 5500

or email business_stats@cso.ie

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