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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 12.5% in the total number of dwelling units approved in Quarter 2 (Q2) 2025 to 7,447 units, down from 8,513 units when compared with Q2 2024.
Houses accounted for 63% of all dwelling units granted planning permission in Q2 2025, while apartments made up the remaining 37%.
In Q2 2025, the number of houses granted planning permission fell by 6.4% when compared with Q2 2024, while apartment approvals decreased by 21.4%.
The number of multi-development houses receiving planning permission declined by 7.5% annually, from 3,852 units in Q2 2024 to 3,565 units in Q2 2025.
While there was a 3.2% decrease in the number of one-off houses receiving planning permission in Q2 2025, it has eased from the 4.5% fall recorded between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025.
In Q2 2025, there was an increase of 7.3% in the number of individual planning permissions granted for all developments with 7,058 permissions approved compared with 6,575 permissions in Q2 2024.
Across the four local authorities of Dublin, there was an annual decline of 35.5% in the total number of dwelling units approved in Q2 2025, of which the number of houses approved was down by 45% (1,062 units to 583 units) compared with a fall of 30% (1,754 units to 1,233 units) in the number of apartments approved.
In Q2 2025, there was an annual growth of 1.9% (2,418 to 2,465) in the total number of Strategic Housing Developments (SHD) dwelling units approved, of which the number of houses approved rose by 7.0%, compared with a fall of 2.7% in the number of apartments approved.
The headline table shows the total number of dwelling units (Houses and Apartments) granted planning permission in Quarter 2 (Q2) of 2024 and 2025. It also highlights the annual percentage changes.
| Dwelling units granted planning permission in Quarter 2 of 2024 and 2025 | ||||
| Quarter 2 | ||||
| 2024 | 2025 | Change | ||
| Multi-development houses | 3,852 | 3,565 | -287 | -7.5% |
| One-off houses | 1,195 | 1,157 | -38 | -3.2% |
| All Houses | 5,047 | 4,722 | -325 | -6.4% |
| Apartments | 3,466 | 2,725 | -741 | -21.4% |
| Total Dwellings | 8,513 | 7,447 | -1,066 | -12.5% |
In the second quarter (Q2) of 2025 there were 2,725 apartments granted planning permission. During the same period, 3,565 multi-development houses and 1,157 one-off houses were approved.
Houses accounted for 63% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in Q2 2025 with 4,722 units approved. There were 2,725 apartments granted planning permission in Quarter 2 of 2025.
In total, there were 7,058 applications for planning permissions granted for all developments in Q2 2025. 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, 1,536 were for new construction dwellings, 2,105 for other new constructions, 2,096 for extensions, and 1,321 permissions were for alterations and conversions (See Table 3a & Figure 3a).
Of the 1,536 planning permissions granted for new construction dwellings, 1,157 were for one-off houses, 222 were for apartments, 148 were for multi-development houses, and nine 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 | 1536 |
| New construction other | 2105 |
| Extensions | 2096 |
| Alterations and conversions | 1321 |
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Status |
|---|---|
| Multi-development houses | 148 |
| One-off houses | 1157 |
| Apartments | 222 |
| Communal dwellings | 9 |
An annual increase of 7.3% has been recorded in the number of planning permissions granted for all developments, with 6,575 permissions approved in Q2 2024 compared with 7,058 permissions approved in the current quarter. During the same period, an annual decrease of 3.9% was recorded in the number of planning permissions granted for new construction dwellings. In contrast, there were annual increases in approvals for other new constructions (+9.9%), extensions (+6.7%), and alterations and conversions (+20.3%).
There were 7,058 planning permissions granted for all functional categories in Q2 2025. Dwelling units accounted for 62.5% (4,411) of all permissions granted. Of these 4,411 permissions granted, 1,536 were for new constructions, 1,864 were for extensions, and 1,011 were for alterations and conversions.
There were 2,725 new apartments granted planning permission in Q2 2025.
Dublin had the highest proportion of new apartments approved with 45.2% (1,233) of all apartments granted planning permission in the state, followed by the South-West region with 16.4% (446 apartments) and the Mid-East region with 10.8% (294 apartments). The Eastern and Midland region (Dublin, Mid-East, and Midlands) accounted for 1,599 new apartments, 58.7% of the overall total granted planning permission. The Southern region (Mid-West, South-East, and South-West) accounted for 28.6% (778) of apartment approvals, with the Northern and Western region (Border and West) accounting for the remaining 12.8% (348 apartments).
Within the county of Dublin, Dublin City Council accounted for 29.6% (807) and South Dublin County Council accounted for 11.6% (315) of the total number of apartment units granted planning permission in the state in Q2 2025. Outside of Dublin, the highest numbers of apartments granted planning permissions were in counties Cork (441 apartments), Limerick (162 apartments), and Galway (107 apartments). County Longford did not grant any planning permissions for apartments during the current quarter.
There were 4,722 new houses granted planning permission in Q2 2025.
The Mid-East region had the highest proportion of new houses approved with 18.9% (893) of all houses granted planning permission in the state. This was followed by the South-West region with 17.3% (815) of house approvals and the West region with 13.9% (655 houses). The Eastern and Midland region (Dublin, Mid-East, and Midlands) accounted for 1,980 new houses, 41.9% of the total number of new houses granted planning permission. The Southern region (Mid-West, South-East, and South-West) accounted for 31.9% (1,506) of house approvals with the Northern and Western region (Border and West) accounting for the remaining 26.2% (1,236 houses).
Cork county had the highest proportion of houses granted planning permission at 16.0% (757 houses) in the state in Q2 2025. Dublin county had the second highest number of houses granted planning permission at 12.3% (583 houses), followed by Galway at 9.3% (439 houses). Leitrim with nine houses had the lowest proportion of houses granted planning permission, followed by Longford (10 houses) and Cavan (13 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 Q2 2024, there was an annual increase of 1.9% (2,418 to 2,465) in the total number of SHD dwelling units approved. There was an annual rise of 7.0% in the number of houses approved under the SHD process, in contrast to a fall of 2.7% in the number of SHD apartments approved. In Q2 2025, 33.1% of all planning permissions (1,227 apartments and 1,238 houses) were granted under the SHD process. Apartments accounted for almost a half (49.8%) of all successful SHD applications. Of the 4,722 houses granted planning permission, 26.2% (1,238) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 - Apartment units | 2205 | 1261 |
| 2024 Q2 - Multi-development house units | 2695 | 1157 |
| 2024 Q3 - Apartment units | 1620 | 1698 |
| 2024 Q3 - Multi-development house units | 2230 | 1871 |
| 2024 Q4 - Apartment units | 1431 | 1491 |
| 2024 Q4 - Multi-development house units | 2164 | 573 |
| 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 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (16 September 2025) published Planning Permissions for Quarter 2 (Q2) 2025.
Commenting on the release, Shane O'Sullivan, Statistician in the Housing Division, said: “The number of units granted planning permission in April, May, and June (Q2) 2025 was 7,447, of which, 4,722 were for houses and 2,725 were for apartments. The number of apartments approved decreased by 21.4% when compared with Q2 2024. The number of houses approved in Q2 2025 fell by 6.4% over the same period. There was an annual decline of 12.5% in the total number of dwelling unit approvals in Q2 2025, following an annual fall of 2.5% in Q1 2025.
Planning Permissions by Type of Dwelling and Location
Dublin had the highest number of apartment units granted planning permission in the state in Q2 2025 at 1,233 apartments or 45% of all apartments and accounted for 12% of house units approved (583). These 1,816 dwelling units approved in Dublin made up almost a quarter (24%) of all dwelling units granted permission in Q2 2025.
During the same period, the Midlands region (Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath) recorded the lowest number of apartment units (72) granted planning permission. The Mid-East region (Louth, Kildare, Meath, and Wicklow) accounted for the highest number of houses (893) granted planning, while the Mid-West region (Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary) recorded the lowest number of houses (247).
Of the 7,058 individual applications for planning permissions granted in Q2 2025, there were 1,536 for new construction dwellings, 2,105 for other new constructions, 2,096 for extensions, and 1,321 permissions were for alterations and conversions."