Users should note that the number of new dwelling units granted planning permission can vary significantly from quarter to quarter if a large development or a number of large developments are approved within the same reference quarter. Users should therefore exercise caution in extrapolating long-term trends on the basis of a single quarter’s data. Additionally, changes to applications processes for Strategic Housing Developments (SHD) and related issues in An Coimisiún Pleanála (formerly An Bord Pleanála) in 2022 may impact the number of planning permissions granted over recent quarters. Users should also note that the backlog of SHD applications which have been both processed and are still before An Coimisiún Pleanála awaiting decision, may also impact the number of planning permissions granted over recent quarters.
There was a decrease of 1.0% in the total number of dwelling units approved in Quarter 1 (Q1) 2026 to 8,092 units, down from 8,177 units when compared with Q1 2025.
Houses accounted for 61% of all dwelling units granted planning permission in Q1 2026, while apartments made up the remaining 39%.
In Q1 2026, the number of apartments granted planning permission fell by 2.7% when compared with Q1 2025, while the total number of house approvals remained static.
The number of multi-development houses receiving planning permission was down by 4.0% annually, from 3,707 units in Q1 2025 to 3,557 units in Q1 2026.
The number of one-off houses receiving planning permission in Q1 2026 rose by 12.4%, up from 1,230 units in Q1 2025 to 1,382 units in Q1 2026.
In Q1 2026, there was an increase of 21.7% in the number of individual planning permissions granted for all developments with 7,933 permissions approved compared with 6,520 permissions in Q1 2025.
Across the four local authorities of Dublin, there was an annual fall of 34.0% in the total number of dwelling units approved in Q1 2026 to 1,452 units. Of these, the number of apartments approved was down by 31.6% (1,556 units to 1,064 units), while the number of houses approved decreased by 39.7% (643 units to 388 units).
In Q1 2026, there was an annual decline of 43.8% (2,336 to 1,314) in the total number of Strategic Housing Developments (SHD) dwelling units approved, of which the number of apartments approved fell by 40.2%, compared with a fall of 48.3% in the number of houses approved.
The headline table shows the total number of dwelling units (Houses and Apartments) granted planning permission in Quarter 1 (Q1) of 2025 and 2026. It also highlights the annual percentage changes.
| Dwelling units granted planning permission in Quarter 1 of 2025 and 2026 | ||||
| Quarter 1 | Change | |||
| 2025 | 2026 | Units | % | |
| Multi-development houses | 3,707 | 3,557 | -150 | -4.0% |
| One-off houses | 1,230 | 1,382 | 152 | 12.4% |
| All Houses | 4,937 | 4,939 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Apartments | 3,240 | 3,153 | -87 | -2.7% |
| Total Dwellings | 8,177 | 8,092 | -85 | -1.0% |
In the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 there were 3,153 apartments granted planning permission. During the same period, 3,557 multi-development houses and 1,382 one-off houses were approved.
Houses accounted for 61% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in Q1 2026 with 4,939 units approved. There were 3,153 apartments granted planning permission in Quarter 1 of 2026.
In total, there were 7,933 applications for planning permissions granted for all developments in Q1 2026. Applications may relate to a single dwelling or a number of dwellings in the case of multi-unit development applications. Of these applications granted permission, 1,789 were for new construction dwellings, 2,489 for other new constructions, 2,060 for extensions, and 1,595 permissions were for alterations and conversions (See Table 3a & Figure 3a).
Of the 1,789 planning permissions granted for new construction dwellings, 1,382 were for one-off houses, 220 were for apartments, 176 were for multi-development houses, and eleven were for communal dwellings (See Tables 1 & 3b and Figure 3b).
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Status |
|---|---|
| New construction dwellings | 1789 |
| New construction other | 2489 |
| Extensions | 2060 |
| Alterations and conversions | 1595 |
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Status |
|---|---|
| Multi-development houses | 176 |
| One-off houses | 1382 |
| Apartments | 220 |
| Communal dwellings | 11 |
An annual increase of 21.7% has been recorded in the number of planning permissions granted for all developments, with 6,520 permissions approved in Q1 2025 compared with 7,933 permissions approved in the current quarter. During the same period, an annual increase of 12.0% was recorded in the number of planning permissions granted for new construction dwellings. There were also annual increases in approvals for other new constructions (+35.1%), extensions (+4.0%), and alterations and conversions (+45.0%).
There were 7,933 planning permissions granted for all functional categories in Q1 2026. Dwelling units accounted for 60.8% (4,821) of all permissions granted. Of these 4,821 permissions granted, 1,789 were for new constructions, 1,792 were for extensions, and 1,240 were for alterations and conversions.
There were 3,153 new apartments granted planning permission in Q1 2026.
Dublin had the highest proportion of new apartments approved with 33.7% (1,064) of all apartments granted planning permission in the state, followed by the Mid-West region with 22.4% (707 apartments) and the South-West region with 14.8% (467 apartments). The Eastern and Midland region (Dublin, Mid-East, and Midlands) accounted for 1,328 new apartments, 42.1% of the overall total granted planning permission. The Southern region (Mid-West, South-East, and South-West) accounted for 44.0% (1,388) of apartment approvals, with the Northern and Western region (Border and West) accounting for the remaining 13.9% (437 apartments).
Within the county of Dublin, South Dublin County Council accounted for 13.7% (433) and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council accounted for 9.0% (285) of the total number of apartment units granted planning permission in the state in Q1 2026. Outside of Dublin, the highest numbers of apartments granted planning permissions were in counties Limerick (623 apartments) and Cork (349 apartments). The lowest number of apartments granted planning permissions during the current quarter were in counties Roscommon (three) and Meath (nine).
There were 4,939 new houses granted planning permission in Q1 2026.
The South-West region had the highest proportion of new houses approved with 21.2% (1,045) of all houses granted planning permission in the state. This was followed by the South-East region with 18.4% (909) of house approvals and the Border region with 14.3% (706 houses). The Eastern and Midland region (Dublin, Mid-East, and Midlands) accounted for 1,376 new houses, 27.9% of the total number of new houses granted planning permission. The Southern region (Mid-West, South-East, and South-West) accounted for 48.7% (2,407) of house approvals with the Northern and Western region (Border and West) accounting for the remaining 23.4% (1,156 houses).
Cork county had the highest proportion of houses granted planning permission at 12.0% (594 houses) in the state in Q1 2026. Kerry had the second highest number of houses granted planning permission at 9.1% (451 houses), followed by Dublin at 7.9 (388 houses). Longford with thirteen houses had the lowest proportion of houses granted planning permission, followed by Roscommon (22 houses) and Leitrim (28 houses).
The Strategic Housing Development (SHD) process is where applications of at least 100 residential units or 200+ student bed spaces can be made directly to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
In comparison with Q1 2025, there was an annual decrease of 43.8% (2,336 to 1,314) in the total number of SHD dwelling units approved. There was an annual decline of 48.3% in the number of houses approved under the SHD process and a decrease of 40.2% in the number of SHD apartments approved. In Q1 2026, 16.2% of all planning permissions (780 apartments and 534 houses) were granted under the SHD process. Apartments accounted for almost six in ten (59.4%) successful SHD applications. Of the 4,939 houses granted planning permission, 10.8% (534) were granted under the SHD process.
Please note: The Strategic Housing Development (SHD) process expired to new applications on 25 February 2022. It has been succeeded by the Large-Scale Residential Development (LRD) scheme. Please see Background Notes.
| X-axis label | Non-Strategic Housing Development units | Strategic Housing Development units |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q1 - Apartment units | 1936 | 1304 |
| 2025 Q1 - Multi-development house units | 2675 | 1032 |
| 2025 Q2 - Apartment units | 1498 | 1227 |
| 2025 Q2 - Multi-development house units | 2327 | 1238 |
| 2025 Q3 - Apartment units | 1657 | 3359 |
| 2025 Q3 - Multi-development house units | 2343 | 2333 |
| 2025 Q4 - Apartment units | 1636 | 1742 |
| 2025 Q4 - Multi-development house units | 2486 | 1086 |
| 2026 Q1 - Apartment units | 2373 | 780 |
| 2026 Q1 - Multi-development house units | 3023 | 534 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (10 June 2026) published Planning Permissions for Quarter 1 (Q1) 2026.
Commenting on the release, Shane O'Sullivan, Statistician in the Housing Division, said: “The number of dwelling units granted planning permission in January, February, and March (Q1) 2026 was 8,092, of which 4,939 were for houses and 3,153 were for apartments.
The number of apartments approved decreased by 2.7% when compared with Q1 2025. The total number of houses approved in Q1 2026 remained static over the same period. There was an annual fall of 1.0% in the total number of dwelling unit approvals in Q1 2026, following an annual rise of 19.1% in Q4 2025.
Planning Permissions by Type of Dwelling and Location
Dublin had the highest number of apartment units granted planning permission in the state in Q1 2026 at 1,064 apartments or 34% of all apartments and accounted for 8% of house units approved (388). These 1,452 dwelling units approved in Dublin made up almost a fifth (18%) of all dwelling units granted permission in Q1 2026.
During the same period, the Midlands region (Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath) recorded the lowest number of apartment units (77) granted planning permission. The South-West region (Cork and Kerry) accounted for the highest number of houses (1,045) granted planning, while the Dublin region recorded the lowest number of houses (388).
Of the 7,933 individual applications for planning permissions granted in Q1 2026, there were 1,789 for new construction dwellings, 2,489 for other new constructions, 2,060 for extensions, and 1,595 permissions were for alterations and conversions."