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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 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 Bord Pleanála awaiting decision, may also impact the number of planning permissions granted over recent quarters.
There was an annual decrease of more than 21% in the total number of dwelling units approved in 2024 to 32,401, down from 41,225 units in 2023. This compares with an annual increase of 20.6% in 2023.
In 2024, the number of apartments granted planning permission fell by almost 39% when compared with 2023, while house approvals were down by 2.7%.
There was an annual fall of 2.8% in the number of multi-development houses receiving planning permission in 2024, compared with a decline of 2.5% in one-off houses.
Across the four local authorities of Dublin, planning permission was granted for 6,122 apartments in 2024, a decline of 55.7% when compared to 2023. Dublin accounted for almost half (46%) of all apartments granted planning permission in the state in 2024.
In 2024, there was an annual decrease of 46% (19,172 to 10,439) in the total number of Strategic Housing Developments (SHD) dwelling units approved, compared with an annual increase of 35% in 2023.
In Quarter 4 (Q4) 2024, the total number of dwelling units approved planning permission was down by 38% to 6,890 units compared with 11,181 units in Q4 2023.
Planning permissions granted for apartment units fell by 52% in Q4 2024 compared with Q4 2023, while house permissions granted during the same period dropped by 21%.
Between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024, an annual decline of 8% was recorded in the number of planning permissions granted for all developments, with 5,878 permissions approved in Q4 2024 compared with 6,399 in Q4 2023.
The text of Key Finding 4 was updated on 12 March 2025 at 3pm to provide additional clarity.
The headline table shows the total number of dwelling units (Houses and Apartments) granted planning permission in Quarter 4 (Q4) of 2023 and 2024 and the year 2023 and 2024. It also highlights annual percentage changes.
| Dwelling units granted planning permission, 2023 and 2024 | |||||||||
| Quarter 4 | January - December | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2024 | Change | 2023 | 2024 | Change | ||||
| Multi-development houses | 3,818 | 2,737 | -1,081 | -28.3% | 14,706 | 14,301 | -405 | -2.8% | |
| One-off houses | 1,213 | 1,231 | 18 | 1.5% | 5,032 | 4,906 | -126 | -2.5% | |
| All Houses | 5,031 | 3,968 | -1,063 | -21.1% | 19,738 | 19,207 | -531 | -2.7% | |
| Apartments | 6,150 | 2,922 | -3,228 | -52.5% | 21,487 | 13,194 | -8,293 | -38.6% | |
| Total Dwellings | 11,181 | 6,890 | -4,291 | -38.4% | 41,225 | 32,401 | -8,824 | -21.4% | |
In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024 there were 2,922 apartments granted planning permission. During the same period, 2,737 multi-development houses and 1,231 one-off houses were approved.
In 2024 there were 13,194 apartments granted planning permission. During the same period, 14,301 multi-development houses and 4,906 one-off houses were approved.
Apartments accounted for 42.4% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in Q4 2024 with 2,922 units approved. During the same period, there were 3,968 houses granted planning permission. In each of the four quarters in 2024, more houses than apartments have been granted planning permission. In contrast, in Q4 2023, more apartments than houses were granted planning permission.
In total, there were 5,878 applications for planning permissions granted for all developments in Q4 2024. 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, 1,566 were for new construction dwellings, 1,679 for other new constructions, 1,772 for extensions, and 861 permissions were for alterations and conversions.
Of these 1,566 new construction dwellings granted planning permission, 1,231 were one-off houses, 194 were apartments, 130 were multi-development houses, and 11 were communal dwellings.
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Status |
|---|---|
| New construction dwellings | 1566 |
| New construction other | 1679 |
| Extensions | 1772 |
| Alterations and conversions | 861 |
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Status |
|---|---|
| Multi-development houses | 130 |
| One-off houses | 1231 |
| Apartments | 194 |
| Communal dwellings | 11 |
Between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024, an annual decline of 8.1% was recorded in the number of planning permissions granted for all developments, with 6,399 permissions approved in Q4 2023 compared with 5,878 permissions approved in the current quarter. There was an annual increase of 0.1% the number of planning permissions granted for new construction dwellings in Q4 2024, in contrast there were annual decreases in approvals for other new constructions (-17.9%) and alterations and conversions (-18.9%), while a rise in approvals for extensions (+2.5%) was also recorded.
In 2024 there were 25,785 planning permissions granted for all developments. Of these permissions, 6,373 were for new construction dwellings, 7,453 for other new constructions, 7,741 for extensions, and 4,218 permissions were for alterations and conversions.
Of the 6,373 new construction dwellings granted planning permission in 2024, 4,906 were for one-off houses, 830 for apartments, 592 for multi-development houses, and 45 permissions for communal dwellings.
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Status |
|---|---|
| New construction dwellings | 6373 |
| New construction other | 7453 |
| Extensions | 7741 |
| Alterations and conversions | 4218 |
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Status |
|---|---|
| Multi-development houses | 592 |
| One-off houses | 4906 |
| Apartments | 830 |
| Communal dwellings | 45 |
In 2024 an annual increase of 2.2% was recorded in the number of planning permissions granted for all developments, with 25,785 permissions approved in 2024 compared with 25,226 in 2023. During the same period, an annual increase of 0.3% was recorded in the number of planning permissions granted for new construction dwellings. There were also annual increases in approvals for extensions (+10.1%) and for alterations and conversions (+2.2%), while other new constructions showed an annual decrease of -3.4%.
There were 5,878 planning permissions granted for all functional categories in Q4 2024. Dwelling units accounted for 63.2% (3,715) of all permissions granted. Of these 3,715 permissions granted, 1,566 were for new constructions, 1,569 were for extensions, and 580 were for alterations and conversions.
There were 13,194 new apartments granted planning permission in 2024.
Dublin had the highest proportion of new apartments approved with 46.4% (6,122) of all apartments granted planning permission in the state, followed by the Mid-East region with 19.3% (2,552) of apartment approvals and the South-West region with 12.8% (1,690). The Eastern and Midland Region (Dublin, Mid-East, and Midlands) accounted for 9,248 new apartments, 70.1% of the total number granted planning permission. The Southern Region (Mid-West, South-East, and South-West) accounted for 22.8% (3,006) of all apartment approvals with the Northern and Western Region (Border and West) accounting for the remaining 7.1% (940 apartments).
In 2024, within the county of Dublin, Dublin City Council accounted for 15.7% (2,066) and Fingal County Council accounted for 15.2% (2,011) of the total number of apartment units granted planning permission in the state. Outside of Dublin, the highest numbers of apartments granted planning permissions were in counties Cork (1,282 units), Louth (935 units), and Kildare (636 units). The counties with the lowest numbers of apartments granted planning permissions in 2024 were counties Longford (7 units), Sligo (8 units), Leitrim (12 units), and Monaghan (14 units).
There were 19,207 new houses granted planning permission in 2024.
The Mid-East region had the highest proportion of new houses approved with 19.8% (3,794) of all houses granted planning permission in the state, followed by the South-West region with 18.7% (3,596) of house approvals and the Dublin region with 11.8% (2,264 houses). The Eastern and Midland Region (Dublin, Mid-East, and Midlands) accounted for 8,223 new houses, 42.8% of the total number of new houses granted planning permission. The Southern Region (Mid-West, South-East, and South-West) accounted for 39.2% (7,533) of house approvals with the Northern and Western Region (Border and West) accounting for the remaining 18.0% (3,451 houses).
In 2024, there were 19,207 houses granted planning permission in the state. Cork had the highest proportion of houses granted planning permission at 15.0% (2,873 houses), followed by Dublin at 11.8% (2,264 houses) and Kildare at 6.4% (1,238 houses). Leitrim had the lowest proportion with 55 houses granted planning permission, followed by Longford with 87 houses and Carlow with 101 houses.
Dublin accounted for the highest proportion of dwelling units granted planning permission in 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2022, Dublin accounted for 12,156 (35.6%) of all dwelling units granted planning permission, compared with 18,609 units (45.1%) in 2023 and 8,386 units (25.9%) in 2024. The number of dwelling units granted planning permission in Dublin increased by 53.1% between 2022 and 2023, in contrast with an annual decrease of 54.9% between 2023 and 2024.
| Total Dwelling Units (2024) | Total Dwelling Units (2023) | Total Dwelling Units (2022) | |
| Dublin | 8386 | 18609 | 12156 |
| Mid-East | 6346 | 5095 | 5752 |
| Midlands | 2739 | 2177 | 1643 |
| Mid-West | 2780 | 2794 | 3183 |
| South-East | 2473 | 2794 | 2982 |
| South-West | 5286 | 6181 | 4960 |
| Border | 1745 | 1797 | 1719 |
| West | 2646 | 1778 | 1782 |
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 Bord Pleanála.
In 2024, there was an annual decrease of 45.6% (19,172 to 10,439) in the total number of SHD dwelling units approved. There was an annual decline of 17.2% in the number of houses approved under the SHD process, compared with a fall of 57.0% in the number of SHD apartments approved. In 2024, almost a third (32.2%) of all planning permissions (5,885 apartments and 4,554 houses) were granted under the SHD process. Apartments accounted for 56.4% of all successful SHD applications. Of the 19,207 houses granted planning permission, 23.7% (4,554) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Q4 - Apartment units | 1296 | 4854 |
| 2023 Q4 - Multi-development house units | 2582 | 1236 |
| 2024 Q1 - Apartment units | 2053 | 1435 |
| 2024 Q1 - Multi-development house units | 2658 | 953 |
| 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 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (12 March 2025) published Planning Permissions Quarter 4 and Year 2024.
Commenting on the release, Shane O'Sullivan, Statistician in the Housing Division, said: “In 2024, the total number of dwelling units granted planning permission was 32,401, down 21.4% from 41,225 units in 2023. In October, November, and December (Q4) 2024, the total number of dwelling units granted planning permission was 6,890, down 38.4% from 11,181 units in Q4 2023.
Quarterly Comparisons
Apartment units accounted for more than four in ten (42% or 2,922 units) of total dwelling units granted permission in Q4 2024, a decrease of 52% when compared with 6,150 units which received approval in Q4 2023.
There were 28% less multi-development houses approved permission in Q4 2024 when compared with Q4 2023. One-off houses were up 1.5% from 1,213 units in Q4 2023 to 1,231 units in Q4 2024.
Of the 5,878 planning permissions granted for all developments in Q4 2024, 1,566 were for new construction dwellings, 1,679 for other new constructions, 1,772 for extensions, and 861 permissions were granted for alterations and conversions.
Dublin accounted for 37% (1,072 units) of all apartments approved during Q4 2024, followed by Cork at 11% (307 units), and Louth at 9% (252 units).
In terms of house units granted planning permission in Q4 2024, Cork had the highest number at 655 units (17%), followed by Waterford with 408 units (10%), and Meath with 391 units (10%).
Of the 2,064 units approved in Q4 2024 under the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) scheme, 72% were for apartments and 28% were for houses.
Annual Comparisons
Apartment units accounted for more than four in ten (41% or 13,194 units) of total dwelling units granted permission in 2024, a decrease of 38.6% when compared with 21,487 units which received approval in 2023.
There were 2.5% fewer one-off houses approved permission in 2024 when compared with a year earlier. In comparison, in 2024 there were 2.8% less multi-development house units approved than during 2023.
Of the 25,785 planning permissions granted for all developments in 2024, 6,373 were for new construction dwellings, 7,453 were for other new constructions, 7,741 were for extensions, and 4,218 permissions were granted for alterations and conversions.
Dublin accounted for 46% (6,122 units) of all apartments approved in 2024, followed by Cork at 10% (1,282 units), and Louth at 7% (935 units).
In terms of house units granted planning permission in 2024, Cork accounted for the largest number of houses with 2,873 units (15%), followed by Dublin with 2,264 units (12%), and Kildare with 1,238 units (6%).
On an annual basis, the number of units approved (apartments and total houses) under the SHD scheme fell by 46% in 2024, compared with an increase of 35% in 2023."