Back to Top

Central Statistics Office

 Skip navigation

Show Menu  
PDF - Summary (KB)
PDF - Full (KB)
Extra information
Methodology Previous Releases
International comparison:
Eurostat Planning Permission Data
See also:
YouTube Video
For more information on this release:
E-mail: business_stats@cso.ie Seán Clancy (+353) 21 4535500
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-5279

COVID-19 Release Information

This release has been compiled during the COVID-19 crisis. The results contained in this release reflect some of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 situation. For further information see Information Note - Implications of COVID-19 on Planning Permissions Q1 2021

CSO statistical release, , 11am

Planning Permissions

Quarter 1 2021

Number of dwelling units granted planning permission in Quarter 1 of 2020 and 2021
HousesApartmentsTotal
Quarter 1 20205,0919,04114,132
Quarter 1 20213,0893,8746,963
% change-39.3%-57.2%-50.7%

Number of dwelling units approved down 50.7% in year to Quarter 1 2021

Figure 1: Dwelling units approved by type, Q1 2019 - Q1 2021
go to full release

The number of dwelling units granted planning permission in the first quarter of 2021 was 6,963, of which 3,874 were apartments and 3,089 were houses. The number of apartment units approved decreased by 57.2% in the year since the first quarter of 2020. There was an annual decrease of 39.3% in houses approved in the current quarter, resulting in a total annual decrease in dwelling units approved of 50.7%. See Headline Table and Table 5.

The number of planning permissions granted for new dwellings increased by 13.1%, while the number of dwelling units approved decreased in the year to quarter 1 2021. This was largely due to the decline in the number of Strategic Housing Development (SHD) dwelling units approved, with SHD apartment units down 62.0% and SHD housing units down 92.5%. When interpreting this data users are advised to note that SHD planning permissions can have a significant impact on the number of dwelling units approved. See Table 2, Figure 5 and Table 7.

The first quarter figures also show that:

  • One-off houses accounted for 23.9% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in this quarter. See Table 5.
  • The total number of planning permissions granted for all developments was 7,511. This compares with 6,649 in the first quarter of 2020, an increase of 13.0%. See Table 2.
  • Total floor area planned was 1,711 thousand square metres in the first quarter of 2021. Of this, 50.5% was for new dwellings, 36.6% for other new constructions and 12.9% for extensions. The total floor area planned decreased by 31.6% in comparison with the same quarter in 2020. See Table 2.
X-axis labelHousesPrivate flats/apartments
Q12006164546070
Q22006150144083
Q32006154865397
Q42006130543197
Q12007156544884
Q22007182015787
Q32007158386300
Q42007131354598
Q12008133015281
Q22008125987344
Q32008115323761
Q42008103753392
Q12009102563921
Q2200977395092
Q3200953623222
Q4200934571507
Q1201035851925
Q2201030432335
Q3201028171824
Q420102159790
Q120113075592
Q220112599711
Q320111887625
Q420111537619
Q12012126392
Q220121166240
Q32012154098
Q420121420431
Q120131860448
Q220131496430
Q320131252157
Q420131394162
Q120141446158
Q220141492114
Q320141783361
Q420141905152
Q120152514699
Q220152637473
Q320152345359
Q4201527541263
Q120162534557
Q220162340801
Q3201641991190
Q4201632451084
Q120173754896
Q220173630823
Q320173764975
Q4201742922642
Q1201857581867
Q2201849511826
Q3201848793139
Q4201843762306
Q1201949012592
Q2201949364630
Q3201949345174
Q4201948997195
Q1202050919041
Q2202030634208
Q3202057287871
Q4202044325104
Q1202130893874

In quarter 3 of 2019, for the first time, more apartments than houses were granted planning permission, a trend which has continued up to the current quarter. In the first quarter of 2021, apartments granted planning permissions accounted for 55.6% of approvals granted for total dwelling units. See Figure 2 and Table 1 & Table 5.

Table 1 Summary of planning permissions granted for new dwelling units, Q1 2019 - Q1 2021
Period Multi- Development HousesAnnual % change One-off housesAnnual % changeAll HousesAnnual % change ApartmentsAnnual % change Total Dwellings (All Houses & Apartments)Annual % change
2019Q 13,445-21.1%1,4564.7%4,901-14.9% 2,59238.8% 7,493-1.7%
Q 213,549-2.4%1,3875.5%4,936-0.3% 4,630153.6% 9,56641.2%
Q 313,401-1.8%1,5146.9%4,9150.7% 5,17464.8% 10,08925.8%
Q 413,63420.5%1,265-6.9%4,89912.0% 7,195212.0% 12,09481.0%
Year14,029-3.1%5,6222.6%19,651-1.6% 19,591114.4% 39,24234.8%
2020Q 113,7368.4%1,355-6.9%5,0913.9% 9,041248.8% 14,13288.6%
 Q 212,394-32.5%669-51.8%3,063-37.9% 4,208-9.1% 7,271-24.0%
 Q 313,97416.8%1,75415.9%5,72816.5% 7,87152.1% 13,59934.8%
 Q 42,918-19.7%1,51419.7%4,432-9.5% 5,104-29.1% 9,536-21.2%
 Year13,022-7.2%5,292-5.9%18,314-6.8% 26,22433.9% 44,53813.5%
2021Q 11,428-61.8%1,66122.6%3,089-39.3% 3,874-57.2% 6,963-50.7%
1 Revised due to additional information.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 1 (XLS 11KB)
upArrowHide Table

A total of 7,511 planning permissions were granted for all developments in the current quarter. Of these permissions, 53.2% were for new constructions, 29.2% for extensions and 17.6% for alterations and conversions. See Table 2 and Figure 3a.

For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Type
New constructions53.2
Extensions29.2
Alterations and
conversions		17.6
X-axis labelNew constructionsExtensionsAlterations and conversions
2019 Q1386619241153
2019 Q2384819691224
2019 Q3430321251293
2019 Q4352616111049
2020 Q1379017361123
2020 Q21961874554
2020 Q3475323701419
2020 Q4401018601147
2021 Q1399521911325

There were 7,511 planning permissions granted for all developments in quarter 1 of 2021. This compares with 6,649 permissions in the first quarter of 2020, an increase of 13.0%. There was an increase of 26.2% in planning permissions granted for extensions, 18.0% for alterations and conversions and 5.4% for new constructions when compared to quarter 1 2020. See Table 2 and Figure 3b.

Table 2 Summary of planning permissions granted, Q1 2013 - Q1 2021
Number of Permissions Total Floor Area (000 square metres)3
Period New Construction DwellingsNew Construction OtherExtensionsAlterations and ConversionsTotal  New Construction DwellingsNew Construction OtherExtensionsTotal2
2013Q 18627851,2963323,275 394366169930
 Q 27727541,4893533,368 333331170834
 Q 39319041,6653753,875 282312229823
 Q 47519881,2453993,383 295297159751
 Year3,3163,4315,6951,45913,901 1,3051,3067273,338
2014Q 18911,0061,3965403,833 336229180744
 Q 28751,0911,5905934,149 296242174712
 Q 39621,1831,7054784,328 366379228974
 Q 48781,0191,2613463,504 368214172754
 Year3,6064,2995,9521,95715,814 1,3661,0647543,184
2015Q 11,0661,0461,4543353,901 525243206973
 Q 29911,0211,6633724,047 5273212161,065
 Q 31,1281,4921,9424475,009 4945682931,354
 Q 41,0841,5651,4134084,470 6016871801,468
 Year4,2695,1246,4721,56217,427 2,1471,8198954,861
2016Q 11,1691,6951,6803704,914 5025222561,280
 Q 21,2031,7581,8494265,236 5544602311,245
 Q 311,4011,9732,1985516,123 8026292621,693
 Q 41,3411,5171,5104554,823 6844501911,325
 Year5,1146,9437,2371,80221,096 2,5422,0619405,543
2017Q 11,5231,9061,7677635,959 7604212791,461
 Q 21,4842,0901,9048016,279 6985312271,455
 Q 31,6702,0462,1661,0026,884 7614473021,510
 Q 41,5911,8991,6008715,961 9624182131,593
 Year6,2687,9417,4373,43725,083 3,1811,8171,0216,019
2018Q 111,7111,7691,6588726,010 1,1465712201,938
 Q 21,6392,0852,0591,0406,823 9966062551,857
 Q 31,8132,2572,2231,1477,440 1,0976532602,010
 Q 41,6781,8831,7509896,300 9084942701,672
 Year6,8417,9947,6904,04826,573 4,1472,3241,0067,477
2019Q 11,8232,0431,9241,1536,943 1,0366072041,847
 Q 211,7722,0761,9691,2247,041 1,2196522322,103
 Q 311,9182,3852,1251,2937,721 1,1988082662,272
 Q 411,5961,9301,6111,0496,186 1,3625112222,095
 Year7,1098,4347,6294,71927,891 4,8152,5779258,317
2020Q 111,7352,0551,7361,1236,649 1,4768082192,503
 Q 218691,0928745543,389 751323991,173
 Q 312,1972,5562,3701,4198,542 1,5117183082,537
 Q 41,8422,1681,8601,1477,017 1,1447211932,058
 Year6,6437,8716,8404,24325,597 4,8822,5708198,271
2021Q 11,9632,0322,1911,3257,511 8646262201,711
1 Revised due to additional information.
2 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure.
3 Rounding issues may occur.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 2 (XLS 37KB)
upArrowHide Table

Planning permission was granted for 3,874 new apartments in the first quarter of 2021.

The region with the highest proportion of these permissions at 79.3 % was Dublin with 3,073 approvals, followed by the Mid-East (8.4%) with 327 approvals. The Eastern and Midland Region (made up of Dublin, the Mid-East and the Midland regions) accounted for 3,451 permissions, 89.1% of all apartment units granted planning. The Southern Region (made up of the Mid-West, South East and South West regions) accounted for 7.3% of permissions compared to just 3.6% for the Northern and Western Region (Border and West). See Table 6 and Figure 4a.

There were 3,089 housing units granted planning permission in the current quarter. The county with highest proportion of these permissions was Cork at 13.6% with 421 approvals, followed by Meath (9.4%) with 289 approvals and Galway at 9.0%, with 278 planning permissions granted. Leitrim with 12 approvals accounted for the lowest proportion of permissions. See Table 8 and Figure 4b.

X-axis labelNon-Strategic Housing Development unitsStrategic Housing Development units
2020 Q1 - Apartment units17507291
2020 Q1 - Multi-development house units17991937
2020 Q2 - Apartment units6623546
2020 Q2 - Multi-development house units13771017
2020 Q3 - Apartment units14946377
2020 Q3 - Multi-development house units21251849
2020 Q4 - Apartment units23292775
2020 Q4 - Multi-development house units18121106
2021 Q1 - Apartment units11002774
2021 Q1 - Multi-development house units1282146

Dwelling units granted by type of application - SHD and non-SHD applications

The Strategic Housing Development process 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.

In the first quarter of 2021, the number of SHD apartment units approved declined by 62.0% when compared with the first quarter of 2020. Similarly, the number of SHD housing units approved declined by 92.5%. SHD apartment units accounted for 71.6% of all apartment units granted planning permission, with standard applications accounting for the remaining 28.4%. In the same period, 1,428 multi-development housing units were granted planning permission, 146 or 10.2% were Strategic Housing Development (SHD) applications compared to 1,282 or 89.8% standard applications. See Table 7 and Figure 5.

Table 3 Summary of Planning Permissions granted, Q1 2021, classified by region, county and type of development
 Number of Permissions Total Floor Area (000 square metres)3
Planning Region and CountyNew Construction Dwellings New Construction Other  ExtensionsAlterations and ConversionsTotal New Construction Dwellings New Construction Other  ExtensionsTotal1
Northern and Western5514313831691,534 16110353316
Border27725220291822 716532168
Cavan43413717138 1118838
Donegal15411510842419 38141264
Leitrim111716953 4127
Monaghan54552714150 1326342
Sligo152414962 46717
West27417918178712 903821149
Galway City1512363295 4138
Galway2139897224324 5619581
Mayo79415710187 19131042
Roscommon41371612106 105217
           
Southern7747997394132,725 25313085468
Mid-West20720619881692 676225154
Clare62414922174 2210436
Limerick83787924264 27331474
Tipperary62877035254 1819845
South-East259183206110758 822719129
Carlow30292813100 71514
Kilkenny50674025182 1914336
Waterford40416938188 95721
Wexford139466934288 477558
South-West3084103352221,275 1044140185
Cork City23395237151 102315
Cork2208252202136798 752826128
Kerry771198149326 19111242
           
Eastern and Midland6388021,0697433,252 45039482926
Dublin1564217045371,818 25417342468
Dublin City61209273260803 1098216208
Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown387813985340 8299100
Fingal3887168120413 526510127
South Dublin194712472262 1016733
Mid-East339232265144980 14419227363
Louth59364222159 1732352
Kildare45728544246 2613948
Meath162807036348 56121077
Wicklow73446842227 451355185
Midland14314910062454 53281495
Laois36322614108 2010333
Longford2030231689 54616
Offaly45412316125 126220
Westmeath42462816132 168327
           
State1,9632,0322,1911,3257,511 8646262201,711
1 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure
2 Excluding cities
3 Rounding issues may occur
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 3 (XLS 726KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 4(a) Number of Planning Permissions granted, Q1 2021, classified by region, type of development and functional category
 Functional Category 
Type of Development and Planning RegionDwellingsCommercial BuildingsBuildings for AgricultureIndustrial BuildingsGovt-, Health and EducationOther Buildings for Social UseCivil Eng.OtherTotal
NEW CONSTRUCTIONS         
Northern and Western55117100171011111165982
Border27766113367786529
West27411394753479453
Southern7743012827782513481,573
Mid-West20711507316074413
South-East2595323-35585442
South West30814461744136189718
Eastern and Midland63852582813131604781,440
Dublin1562831691057298577
Mid-East339192573261115571
Midland1435305114265292
State1,963992867230325229913,995
          
EXTENSIONS         
Northern and Western31917913196--383
Border160981294--202
West159811102--181
Southern6322318203412--739
Mid-West169735122--198
South-East177484103--206
South West28612711127--335
Eastern and Midland978231115375--1,069
Dublin6601237211--704
Mid-East237646111--265
Midland8154253--100
State1,9296338489023--2,191
          
ALTERATIONS and CONVERSIONS         
Northern and Western10830251212--169
Border541413109--91
West54161223--78
Southern29170482218--413
Mid-West4620-276--81
South-East7816-268--110
South West167344494--222
Eastern and Midland565912125419--743
Dublin42559-63710--537
Mid-East101212695--144
Midland3911--84--62
State9641918258849--1,325
          
ALL DEVELOPMENTS         
Northern and Western978641113541291111651,534
Border49129702822197786822
West4873541719103479712
Southern1,6971231505563382513482,725
Mid-West4223853142296074692
South-East5142540916145585758
South-West76160573225151361891,275
Eastern and Midland2,1811667155104371604783,252
Dublin1,241996296721572981,818
Mid-East67746311923861115980
Midland263213471484265454
State4,8563533321452081045229917,511
- No permissions
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 4a (XLS 90KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 4(b) Total Floor Area Planned (000 square metres)2 in new construction and extensions, Q1 2021, classified by region and functional category
Functional Category 
Type of Development and Planning RegionDwellingsCommercial BuildingsBuildings for AgricultureIndustrial BuildingsGovt., Health and EducationOther Buildings for Social UseTotal1
NEW CONSTRUCTIONS       
Northern and Western16115621555264
Border713431513135
West901219042128
Southern253337212131383
Mid-West6718294120129
South-East828153-0110
South West104727511145
Eastern and Midland45020655813913844
Dublin2546611513511427
Mid-East144137232832336
Midland5332131081
State86425418810956191,490
        
EXTENSIONS       
Northern and Western247578153
Border111577132
West136001021
Southern40811916285
Mid-West1021211025
South-East112212019
South West185763140
Eastern and Midland5333517182
Dublin302127042
Mid-East161127027
Midland71114114
State116191921414220
        
TOTAL NEW CONSTRUCTIONS and EXTENSIONS       
Northern and Western185226722137316
Border824482284168
West1031919152149
Southern293418221283468
Mid-West7719306230154
South-East941018521129
South West12212351142185
Eastern and Midland50320958865614926
Dublin2836811534211468
Mid-East160138252992363
Midland6042245195
State98027320812997231,711
1 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure
2 Rounding issues may occur
NOTE: 0 implies less than 500 sq.m
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 4b (XLS 97KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 5 Summary of planning permissions granted for new houses and apartments, Q1 2013 - Q1 2021
Multi-Development Houses One-Off Houses All Houses Apartments
Period Number of PermissionsNumber of UnitsFloor Area (000 m2)Average Floor Area per Unit (m2) Number of PermissionsNumber of UnitsFloor Area (000 m2)Average Floor Area per Unit (m2) Number of PermissionsNumber of UnitsFloor Area (000 m2)Average Floor Area per Unit (m2) Number of PermissionsNumber of UnitsFloor Area (000 m2)Average Floor Area per Unit (m2)
2013Q1451,087155142.6 773773190246.2 8181,860345185.7 4044846102.1
 Q243812109134.5 684684171249.6 7271,496280187.1 4043050116.9
 Q34543363146.6 819819203247.5 8641,252266212.6 641571276.6
 Q454754109144.1 640640161252.0 6941,394270193.6 531621593.6
 Year1873,086436141.4 2,9162,916725248.6 3,1036,0021,161193.5 1971,197123103.0
                     
2014Q161672106157.3 774774190245.7 8351,446296204.6 491581596.9
 Q25774099133.2 752752185245.9 8091,492283190.0 631141084.9
 Q366962134138.9 821821197239.6 8871,783330185.2 653613186.9
 Q4551,156166143.2 749749186248.3 8041,905352184.5 691521385.3
 Year2393,530503142.6 3,0963,096758244.8 3,3356,6261,261190.3 2467856988.3
                     
2015Q1691,606232144.3 908908222244.8 9772,514454180.6 826996897.2
 Q2921,816277152.5 821821198241.0 9132,637475180.0 734734799.7
 Q3861,395189135.2 950950230242.4 1,0362,345419178.6 853593289.2
 Q4821,841259140.5 913913222243.5 9952,754481174.7 861,26311994.2
 Year3296,658956143.6 3,5923,592873243.0 3,92110,2501,829178.4 3262,79426695.2
                     
2016Q1941,556209134.2 978978236241.8 1,0722,534445175.7 905575090.1
 Q21001,350188139.0 990990234236.6 1,0902,340422180.3 1078017188.0
 Q311433,070411133.9 1,1291,129269238.3 1,2724,199680161.9 1251,19010689.1
 Q41012,112281133.3 1,1331,133278245.4 1,2343,245559172.4 1021,08410496.4
 Year 4388,0881,089134.6 4,2304,2301,018240.6 4,66812,3182,106171.0 4243,63233191.1
                     
2017Q11142,481341137.6 1,2731,273308242.1 1,3873,754650173.1 1268968393.1
 Q21212,382310130.0 1,2481,248302241.8 1,3693,630611168.4 1078237084.8
 Q31342,382302126.8 1,3821,382329237.8 1,5163,764631167.6 1469759091.9
 Q41322,970404135.9 1,3221,322315238.3 1,4544,292719167.4 1312,64221581.5
 Year50110,2151,357132.8 5,2255,2251,254239.9 5,72615,4402,610169.1 5105,33645885.9
                     
2018Q111464,367555127.1 1,3911,391331238.0 1,5375,758886153.9 1611,86715985.2
 Q21493,636482132.6 1,3151,315312237.1 1,4644,951794160.4 1611,82616691.0
 Q31773,463442127.6 1,4161,416335236.9 1,5934,879777159.3 2113,13927888.7
 Q41503,017385127.7 1,3591,359323237.4 1,5094,376708161.8 1602,30619082.2
 Year62214,4831,864128.7 5,4815,4811,301237.3 6,10319,9643,165158.5 6939,13879386.8
                     
2019Q11583,445446129.5 1,4561,456340233.7 1,6144,901786160.4 1962,59222687.1
 Q211693,549461129.8 1,3871,387320230.7 1,5564,936781158.2 2024,63038683.5
 Q311683,401434127.8 1,5141,514355234.5 1,6824,915790160.6 2265,17439876.9
 Q411503,634450123.7 1,2651,265296234.2 1,4154,899746152.2 1707,19556578.5
 Year64514,0291,791127.7 5,6225,6221,312233.3 6,26719,6513,102157.9 79419,5911,57580.4
                     
2020Q111723,736465124.4 1,3551,355311229.6 1,5275,091776152.4 1919,04168075.2
 Q21922,394284118.5 669669157234.3 7613,063440143.8 1024,20830071.2
 Q311623,974475119.5 1,7541,754414235.8 1,9165,728889155.1 2687,87158474.2
 Q41292,918333114.0 1,5141,514363239.5 1,6434,432695156.9 1875,10440378.9
 Year55513,0221,556119.5 5,2925,2921,244235.1 5,84718,3142,800152.9 74826,2241,96675.0
                     
2021Q11041,428175122.8 1,6611,661400240.7 1,7653,089575186.2 1933,87427470.8
1 Revised due to additional information.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 5 (XLS 41KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 6 Planning permissions granted for apartment units in Q1 2020 - Q1 2021, classified by region
 Q1 2020Q2 2020Q3 2020Q4 20202020Q1 2021
Regionunitsunitsunitsunitsunitsunits
Dublin17,3673,3775,1023,51619,3623,073
Mid-East1,0312311,8124423,516327
Midlands59999626752151
Mid-West88383830446849
South-East823321527960961
South-West2833264142231,246174
Border202379391615
West1118111534341134
Total19,0414,2087,8715,10426,2243,874
1 Q1 2020 - Q3 2020 revised due to additional information.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 6 (XLS 392KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 7 Planning permissions granted for apartment, multi-development and total house units by type of application, Q1 2019 - Q1 2021
Apartment unitsMulti-development house unitsTotal house units2
Period SHDNon-SHDTotalSHDNon-SHDTotalSHDNon-SHDTotal
2019Q18011,7912,5922883,1573,4452884,6134,901
 Q212,3762,2544,6301,1602,3893,5491,1603,7764,936
 Q313,2121,9625,1746592,7423,4016594,2564,915
 Q415,8831,3127,1951,8391,7953,6341,8393,0604,899
 Year12,2727,31919,5913,94610,08314,0293,94615,70519,651
2020Q117,2911,7509,0411,9371,7993,7361,9383,1535,091
 Q213,5466624,2081,0171,3772,3941,0172,0463,063
 Q316,3771,4947,8711,8492,1253,9741,8493,8795,728
 Q42,7752,3295,1041,1061,8122,9181,1063,3264,432
 Year19,9896,23526,2245,9097,11313,0225,91012,40418,314
2021Q12,7741,1003,8741461,2821,4281462,9433,089
1 Revised due to additional information.
2 Total house units is a combination of multi-development and one off houses.
Planning permissions granted for Strategic Housing Development (SHD) applications may be annulled by the high court. The CSO will revise figures in the fourth quarter publication of the relevant year, if this occurs.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 7 (XLS 37KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 8 Number of units for which planning permissions granted by county, Q1 2021
CountyAll Houses Apartments Total Dwellings
Carlow35 7 42
Cavan42 1 43
Clare118 11 129
Cork421 153 574
Donegal158 3 161
Dublin197 3,073 3,270
Galway278 106 384
Kerry75 21 96
Kildare153 17 170
Kilkenny115 4 119
Laois96 40 136
Leitrim12 - 12
Limerick114 29 143
Longford22 - 22
Louth66 36 102
Mayo75 16 91
Meath289 60 349
Monaghan53 1 54
Offaly43 2 45
Roscommon40 12 52
Sligo15 - 15
Tipperary96 9 105
Waterford39 1 40
Westmeath95 9 104
Wexford238 49 287
Wicklow204 214 418
Total3,089 3,874 6,963
- No permissions
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q1 2021 Table 8 (XLS 10KB)
upArrowHide Table

Background Notes

Scope and Background

Details of the scope and background of this series were given in the March 1973 Statistical Bulletin. The Planning and Development Acts 1963 - 2000, imposes certain requirements on builders, developers and all other persons who propose to build or develop and specifies that a planning permission must be obtained from the relevant Planning Authority.

Local authority building (including housing) is exempt in the case where construction takes place in the Authorities’ own area. Therefore, works undertaken by a local authority outside its functional area come within the scope of the Acts, and need planning permission. Planning permission is also needed for development by the State, except where the consultation procedures provided for in the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1993 obtain (e.g. national security, public safety or order, the administration of justice etc). This series only provides coverage where development is subject to the requirement to obtain planning permission.

This series is also available using the interactive tables in PxStat on the CSO website. 

Classification

Planning permissions are classified by type of development, local authority district and by regional authority.  A distinction is made between residential and non-residential building and civil engineering. 

Type (TY):

1       New Development.

2       Extension.

3       Alteration & Renovation - No floor areas required (FA = 0).

4       Conversion / Change of Use - No floor areas required (FA = 0). 


 
 		 Floor Area Edit Limits
Category (CAT)
 		 New Development Extensions
Range
Floor Area (m2)		 Range
Floor Area (m2)
101

One-Off Houses
Dormer/Porch/Presbytery/Raising Roof

 65 - 372 1 - 150
102

Apartments & Granny Flat
Maisonettes

 19 - 100
1 - 100
104

Communal Dwellings
Old Peoples Homes/Retirement Homes/Student Accommodation

 1 - 2,500 1 - 2,500
105

Multi Development Houses
2 or more houses/Housing Estate

  65 - 372  1 - 150
201

Agricultural & Fisheries
Forestry /Horticulture/Milking Parlour/Stables

 1 - 2,000 1 - 1,000
202

Mining & Energy
Extraction & Water/Power Supply Sub-Station/Oil Depots

 1 - 300 1 - 300
203

Industry & Manufacturing
Handicrafts/Enterprise Centre/Storage/Workshops

 1 - 5,000 1 - 2,000
204

Hotels & Restaurants
Guest Houses/B & Bs/Hostels/Tea Room/Coffee House 

 1 - 4,000  1 - 1,500 
205

Transport Infrastructure
Air/Rail/Bus/Petrol Stations/Bicycle Sheds/Car Showrooms 

 1 - 2,000 1 - 750
206

Trade & Economic
Department Stores/Shops/Hair Dressers/Take Aways/Warehouses 

 1 - 5,000  1 - 1,500
207

Public Administration
Police/Fire Station/Prisons/Court Houses/Barracks/TV Studio

 1 - 4,000 1 - 1,000
208

Health & Welfare
Hospitals/Nursing Homes/Vet Clinics/Community Services

 1 - 4,000 1 - 1,000
209

Entertainment & Recreation
Amusement Arcade/Club Pavilion/Internet Cafe/Swimming Pools

 1 - 4,000 1 - 1,000
210

Education & Science
Art Galleries/Schools/Museums/Universities

 1 - 4,000  1 - 1,000 
211

Religious & Funerary
Churches/Crematoria/Funeral Home/Mortuaries

 1 - 2,000 1 - 500
212

Other Non-Residential
Dog Kennels/Public Toilets/Trade Union Offices

 1 - 250 1 - 250
213

Offices & Administration
Banks/Credit Unions/Insurance

 1 - 4,000 1 - 1,000
214

Crèches
Childcare/Montessori

 1 - 2,000 0 - 750


 

Category (CAT)
301 - 401
 
New Development (only)
Floor Area (m2)  Always 0 
301

Construction of Roads
Runways/Motorways/Level Crossing

 0
302

Constuction of Railways
Metro Lines

 0
303

Civil Engineering Works – Specialised
Boat Slips/Cable Cars/Bridges/Tunnels

 0
304

Hydraulic Engineering
Canals/Harbours/Rivers

 0
305

Water & Sewerage
Reservoirs/WWTPs/Sewer Systems

 0
306

Land Reclamation & Drainage
Cemetery/Demolition/Dump/Garden Centre/Quarries

 0
307

Electrical & Telecommunication Infrastructure
Cables/Overhead Lines/Satellite Dish

 0
308

Pipelines
Fuel/Gas/Other

 0
309

Civil Engineering Works – General
Car Parks (not in buildings)/Incinerator/Ready Mix Plant/Wind Farm

 0
401 

General & Miscellaneous
Access Ramps/Driveway/Entrances/Bored Well/Fencing/Gates/Signs

 0


Coverage

Only final grants of permission or approvals are covered, i.e. only works which involve construction.  The following permissions are excluded since they do not entail construction per se:

  • Changes of a technical and business nature as distinct from a building or structural nature;
  • Outline permission;
  • Retention of an existing building;
  • Changes to existing plan;
  • Bye-law permission;
  • Refusals - permissions subsequently granted on appeal by An Bord Pleanála are included.  

Rounding

As the figures for floor area have been rounded there may be slight discrepancies between the sum of the constituent items and the totals shown.

Estimates are included where complete details of floor area size are not available.  

NUTS2 and NUTS3 Regions

The regional classifications in this release are based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) classification used by Eurostat. The classification was drawn up by Eurostat in order to define territorial units for the production of regional statistics across the European Union. In 2003, the EU Member States, the European Parliament and the Commission established the NUTS regions within a legal framework (Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003).
Revisions were made to the NUTS boundaries in 2016 and were given legal status under Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/2066 amending annexes to NUTS Regulation 1059/2003. Under this revision the NUTS 2 Regions comprise the Regional Assemblies established under the Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014 (SI No. 573 of 2014). The NUTS 3 Regions are groupings of 31 administrative counties, and nest into the NUTS 2 Regions.

Nuts 2 Region   Nuts 2 Region   Nuts 2 Region  
           
Northern and Western   Southern   Eastern and Midland  
           
Nuts 3 Region   Nuts 3 Region   Nuts 3 Region  
Border Cavan Mid-West Clare Dublin Dublin
  Donegal   Limerick   Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
  Leitrim   Tipperary   Fingal
  Monaghan       South Dublin
  Sligo        
           
West Galway City South-East Carlow Mid-East Louth
  Galway County   Kilkenny   Kildare
  Mayo   Waterford   Meath
  Roscommon   Wexford   Wicklow
           
    South-West Cork City Midland Laois
      Cork County   Longford
      Kerry   Offaly
          Westmeath

 

Strategic Housing Development Planning Applications 

Planning applications for housing developments of more than 100 residential units and 200 plus student bed spaces can now be made directly to An Bord Pleanála. New legislation which allows for this type of application was enacted on 19th December 2016 and the associated regulations come in to effect on 3rd July 2017. This new type of application has been introduced as part of Rebuilding Ireland to speed up the planning application process and accelerate delivery of larger housing and student accommodation proposals. For more information see An Bord Pleanala website

Comparison with other national series

There are differences (due to coverage, timing, definitions and other factors) between the planning permissions statistics produced by the CSO and those of the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (DHPCLG), resulting in different but complementary sets of data aimed at meeting the needs of different users.

The planning permissions statistics produced by the DHPCLG focus on the overall process of the planning permissions system.  For example, it provides data for each planning authority on invalid applications received, applications for outline and full permission, decisions to grant /refuse permission, decisions issued within the statutory eight week period, decisions deferred. Percentages for decisions are provided.

By contrast, the planning permissions statistics published by the CSO provide a detailed breakdown of certain outputs of the planning process (number of planning permissions granted with the number of units, functional description, and their floor areas).  Only final grants of permission for works which involve construction are covered. Refusals, retentions and outline permissions, for example, are excluded.  See under the heading Coverage above for a full list of exclusions.

The example of an application for a shopping centre with a car park illustrates how different approaches can result in a different total for the number of planning permissions granted. The CSO statistics include a breakdown into types of planning permission received and would therefore treat the case as an application for two permissions, one for a shopping centre and one for a car park. Where the statistics compiled do not involve such a breakdown, as is the case with the DHPCLG, the application would be treated as one for a single permission.

The purpose of the CSO Planning Permissions Statistics is to provide a short-term indicator on construction.  It aims to provide data enabling some prediction of or insight into the amount of building activity about to take place in the State. 

upArrowHide Background Notes

Scan the QR code below to view this release online or go to
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/pp/planningpermissionsquarter12021/

Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

Tel:
(+353) 21 453 5000
E-Mail:
information@cso.ie

Links:

Careers

You can count on a rewarding career with the CSO.

Learn about our variety of roles and the benefits of working with the CSO.

Follow: