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CSO statistical release, , 11am

Planning Permissions

Quarter 4 2020

Number of dwelling units approved in 2019 and 20201
 HousesApartmentsTotal
Year 201919,65119,59139,242
Year 202018,31426,22444,538
% change-6.8%33.9%13.5%
Quarter 4 20194,8997,19512,094
Quarter 4 20204,4325,1049,536
% change-9.5%-29.1%-21.2%
12019 and 2020 revised due to additional information.

Dwelling unit approvals up 13.5% in 2020

Figure 1: Dwelling units approved by type, Q4 2018 - Q4 2020
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In 2020, more apartments than houses were granted planning permission. Planning permissions were granted for 26,224 apartments, compared with 19,591 in 2019, an increase of 33.9%. 2019 saw the first annual decrease in the number of houses granted planning permission since 2012. Similarly, in 2020 there was a further decline, as 18,314 planning permissions were granted for houses, compared with 19,651 in 2019, a decrease of 6.8%. Planning permissions were granted for 44,538 dwelling units in 2020 compared with 39,242 units in the year 2019, an increase of 13.5%. See Headline Table, Table 4 and Infographic.

The fourth quarter figures also show that:

  • Planning permissions were granted for 4,432 houses in the fourth quarter of 2020 and 4,899 in the fourth quarter of 2019, a decrease of 9.5%. See Headline Table and Table 4. 
  • Planning permissions were granted for 5,104 apartment units, compared with 7,195 units for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 29.1%. See Headline Table and Table 4. 
  • One-off houses accounted for 15.9% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in this quarter. See Table 4.
  • In this quarter, 432 planning permissions were granted for new buildings for Agriculture. This compares to 239 permissions in the same quarter of 2019. See Table 3(a).

Note: This release includes revisions relating to previously granted SHD permissions which were modified in 2020.

Text under Figure 2 relating to data for 2019 was corrected on 22nd April 2021.
X-axis labelHousesApartments
20016072917780
20025105518259
20034960528749
20046957632077
20057565023702
20066000818747
20076282821569
20084780619778
20092681413742
2010116046874
201190982547
20125389861
201360021197
20146626785
2015102502794
2016123183632
2017154405336
2018199649138
20191965119591
20201831426224

Planning permissions were granted for 26,224 apartments in 2020, an increase of 33.9% on the previous year, the highest number seen since 2005. This number is still lower than the peak of 32,077 apartment units granted in 2004.

Planning permissions were granted for 18,314 houses in 2020, compared with 19,651 in 2019, a decrease of 6.8%. This is the second annual decrease since 2018. See Figure 2, Table A and Table 4.

Table A Summary of planning permissions granted for new dwelling units, Q1 2018 - Q4 2020
Period All HousesAnnual % changeof which Multi- Development HousesAnnual % changeof which One-off housesAnnual % changeApartmentsAnnual % changeTotal Dwellings (All Houses & Apartments)Annual % change
2018Q 115,75853.4%4,36776.0%1,3919.3%1,867108.4%7,62564.0%
Q 24,95136.4%3,63652.6%1,3155.4%1,826121.9%6,77752.2%
Q 34,87929.6%3,46345.4%1,4162.5%3,139221.9%8,01869.2%
Q 44,3762.0%3,0171.6%1,3592.8%2,306-12.7%6,682-3.6%
Year19,96429.3%14,48341.8%5,4814.9%9,13871.3%29,10240.1%
2019Q 14,901-14.9%3,445-21.1%1,4564.7%2,59238.8%7,493-1.7%
Q 214,936-0.3%3,549-2.4%1,3875.5%4,630153.6%9,56641.2%
Q 314,9150.7%3,401-1.8%1,5146.9%5,17464.8%10,08925.8%
Q 414,89912.0%3,63420.5%1,265-6.9%7,195212.0%12,09481.0%
Year19,651-1.6%14,029-3.1%5,6222.6%19,591114.4%39,24234.8%
2020Q 115,0913.9%3,7368.4%1,355-6.9%9,041248.8%14,13288.6%
 Q 213,063-37.9%2,394-32.5%669-51.8%4,208-9.1%7,271-24.0%
 Q 315,72816.5%3,97416.8%1,75415.9%7,87152.1%13,59934.8%
 Q 44,432-9.5%2,918-19.7%1,51419.7%5,104-29.1%9,536-21.2%
 Year18,314-6.8%13,022-7.2%5,292-5.9%26,22433.9%44,53813.5%
1 Revised due to additional information.
Note: Percentages are rounded for tabular purposes.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table A (XLS 11KB)
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The total number of planning permissions granted for all developments in the fourth quarter of 2020 was 7,017. This compares with 6,186 in the fourth quarter of 2019, an increase of 13.4%. Of these permissions, 57.1% were for new constructions, 26.5% for extensions and 16.3% for alterations and conversions. See Figure 3 and Table 1.

Total floor area planned was 2,058 thousand square metres in the fourth quarter of 2020, of which, 55.6% was for new dwellings, 35.0% for other new constructions and 9.4% for extensions.  The total floor area planned decreased by 1.8% in comparison with the same quarter in 2019. See Table 1.

For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Type
New constructions57.1
Extensions26.5
Alterations and
conversions		16.3
Table 1 Summary of planning permissions granted, Q1 2013 - Q4 2020
Number of PermissionsTotal Floor Area (000 square metres)3
 New Construction   New Construction  
Period DwellingsOtherExtensionsAlterations and ConversionsTotal DwellingsOtherExtensionsTotal2
2013Q 18627851,2963323,275394366169930
 Q 27727541,4893533,368333331170834
 Q 39319041,6653753,875282312229823
 Q 47519881,2453993,383295297159751
 Year3,3163,4315,6951,45913,9011,3051,3067273,338
2014Q 18911,0061,3965403,833336229180744
 Q 28751,0911,5905934,149296242174712
 Q 39621,1831,7054784,328366379228974
 Q 48781,0191,2613463,504368214172754
 Year3,6064,2995,9521,95715,8141,3661,0647543,184
2015Q 11,0661,0461,4543353,901525243206973
 Q 29911,0211,6633724,0475273212161,065
 Q 31,1281,4921,9424475,0094945682931,354
 Q 41,0841,5651,4134084,4706016871801,468
 Year4,2695,1246,4721,56217,4272,1471,8198954,861
2016Q 11,1691,6951,6803704,9145025222561,280
 Q 21,2031,7581,8494265,2365544602311,245
 Q 311,4011,9732,1985516,1238026292621,693
 Q 41,3411,5171,5104554,8236844501911,325
 Year5,1146,9437,2371,80221,0962,5422,0619405,543
2017Q 11,5231,9061,7677635,9597604212791,461
 Q 21,4842,0901,9048016,2796985312271,455
 Q 31,6702,0462,1661,0026,8847614473021,510
 Q 41,5911,8991,6008715,9619624182131,593
 Year6,2687,9417,4373,43725,0833,1811,8171,0216,019
2018Q 111,7111,7691,6588726,0101,1465712201,938
 Q 21,6392,0852,0591,0406,8239966062551,857
 Q 31,8132,2572,2231,1477,4401,0976532602,010
 Q 41,6781,8831,7509896,3009084942701,672
 Year6,8417,9947,6904,04826,5734,1472,3241,0067,477
2019Q 11,8232,0431,9241,1536,9431,0366072041,847
 Q 211,7722,0761,9691,2247,0411,2196522322,103
 Q 311,9182,3852,1251,2937,7211,1988082662,272
 Q 411,5961,9301,6111,0496,1861,3625112222,095
 Year7,1098,4347,6294,71927,8914,8152,5779258,317
2020Q 111,7352,0551,7361,1236,6491,4768082192,503
 Q 218691,0928745543,389751323991,173
 Q 312,1972,5562,3701,4198,5421,5117183082,537
 Q 41,8422,1681,8601,1477,0171,1447211932,058
 Year6,6437,8716,8404,24325,5974,8822,5708198,271
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 Q4 2020 Table 1 (XLS 36KB)
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The total number of new apartments granted planning permission in 2020 was 26,224.

The region with the highest proportion of these permissions was Dublin (73.8%), followed by the Mid-East (13.4%). The Eastern and Midland Region (made up of Dublin, the Mid-East and the Midland regions) accounted for 89.2% of all apartment units granted. The Southern Region (made up of the Mid-West, South East and South West regions) accounted for 8.9% of permissions compared to 1.9% for the Northern and Western Region (Border and West). See Figure 4 and Table 5.

X-axis labelNon-Strategic Housing Development unitsStrategic Housing Development units
2019 Q1 - Apartment units1791801
2019 Q1 - Multi-development house units3157288
2019 Q2 - Apartment units22542376
2019 Q2 - Multi-development house units23891160
2019 Q3 - Apartment units19623212
2019 Q3 - Multi-development house units2742659
2019 Q4 - Apartment units13125883
2019 Q4 - Multi-development house units17951839
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

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 2020, there were 26,224 apartment units granted planning permission, of which 19,989 or 76.2% were Strategic Housing Development (SHD) applications and 6,235 or 23.8% were standard applications. In the same period, 13,022 multi-development housing units were granted planning permission, with 5,909 or 45.4% Strategic Housing Development (SHD) applications and 7,113 or 54.6% standard applications. See Figure 5 and Table 6.

Table 2 Summary of planning permissions granted, Q4 2020, classified by region, county and type of development
 Number of PermissionsTotal Floor Area (000 square metres)3
 New Construction   New Construction  
Planning Region and CountyDwellings Other  ExtensionsAlterations and ConversionsTotalDwellingsOther  ExtensionsTotal1
Northern and Western4484152971391,29915112735313
Border20921415375651658319167
Cavan35523311131128626
Donegal955463242363120657
Leitrim14111064148112
Monaghan435527181431140455
Sligo2242201610078216
West23920114464648864416146
Galway City712151448204125
Galway21477969213164118766
Mayo614342231692011536
Roscommon2467186115611219
Southern6869666263362,61433421270617
Mid-West193281182677231096420193
Clare60555615186329647
Limerick7610985313015436796
Tipperary5711741212362320850
South-East232233171947301178317217
Carlow252317873640248
Kilkenny6710056402631915741
Waterford365758321831213630
Wexford1045340142118015398
South-West2614522731751,1611096533206
Cork City31556344193393548
Cork217729614291706484622117
Kerry5310168402622115642
Eastern and Midland7087879376723,104658381881,128
Dublin1533545944531,55432624442612
Dublin City741382021946082096018287
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown3610417813144959231092
Fingal1959110772651262983
South Dublin24531045123247996151
Mid-East3762452341551,0102069734337
Louth574143391804918472
Kildare716470422473518961
Meath190975635378923110133
Wicklow5843653920529301170
Midland179188109645401264112179
Laois605332161613813354
Longford253313778136221
Offaly445826161442011435
Westmeath504438251575511369
State1,8422,1681,8601,1477,0171,1447211932,058
1 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure.
2 Excluding cities.
3 Rounding issues may occur.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table 2 (XLS 725KB)
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Table 3(a) Number of planning permissions granted, Q4 2020, 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 Western44871221778119135863
Border20935711637262423
West2394656154773440
Southern686232343312153233261,652
Mid-West1935895418889474
South-East2324679657468465
South West26114781929161169713
Eastern and Midland70853764319181684101,495
Dublin1533332191146231507
Mid-East3761635147562106621
Midland1794388326073367
State1,842834329338416108714,010
          
Extensions         
Northern and Western2511283176--297
Border12886164--153
West123422112--144
Southern521282615297--626
Mid-West15279482--182
South-East14386311---171
South West22613118105--273
Eastern and Midland86323210318--937
Dublin56012-4171--594
Mid-East206915103--234
Midland9721144--109
State1,6356336287721--1,860
          
Alterations and Conversions         
Northern and Western872623165--139
Border43191363--75
West4471-102--64
Southern22765319148--336
Mid-West4811143---67
South-East56231842--94
South West123311776--175
Eastern and Midland506741166114--672
Dublin36249-6297--453
Mid-East1041916223--155
Midland406-4104--64
State8201656389127--1,147
          
All Developments         
Northern and Western786451322340191191351,299
Border38030641518107262651
West406156882294773648
Southern1,4341162636755303233262,614
Mid-West3932399131538889723
South-East4313574202177468730
South West61058903419201611691,161
Eastern and Midland2,0771507969111401684103,104
Dublin1,075943315519462311,554
Mid-East6864437253911621061,010
Midland31612391317106073540
State4,297311474159206896108717,017
- No permissions
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table 3a (XLS 88KB)
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Table 3(b) Total floor area planned (000 square metres)2 in new construction and extensions, Q4 2020, 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 Western15178010245278
Border651527221148
West86628324130
Southern3342112836226547
Mid-West109946190173
South-East11743430132200
South West109848514173
Eastern and Midland6581586612027101,040
Dublin326132391126570
Mid-East20623382492303
Midland126325652167
State1,14418527416674221,865
        
Extensions       
Northern and Western194335135
Border93313019
West101013116
Southern35101294170
Mid-West94321120
South-East101502-17
South West166461033
Eastern and Midland49112817188
Dublin288-15042
Mid-East132279134
Midland81002012
State102251719263193
        
Total New Constructions and Extensions       
Northern and Western170118313306313
Border744548251167
West96728555146
Southern3693113945277617
Mid-West11813494101193
South-East12753930152217
South West12414521124206
Eastern and Midland7071696812844121,128
Dublin354140392186612
Mid-East219264031193337
Midland135325673179
State1,246210290186100252,058
1 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure.
2 Rounding issues may occur.
- No permissions
NOTE: 0 implies less than 500 sq.m
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table 3b (XLS 95KB)
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Table 4 Summary of planning permissions granted for new houses and apartments, Q1 2013 - Q4 2020
All Housesof which Multi-Development Housesof which One-Off HousesApartments
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)
                 
2013Q18181,860345185.7451,087155142.6773773190246.24044846102.1
 Q27271,496280187.143812109134.5684684171249.64043050116.9
 Q38641,252266212.64543363146.6819819203247.5641571276.6
 Q46941,394270193.654754109144.1640640161252.0531621593.6
 Year3,1036,0021,161193.51873,086436141.42,9162,916725248.61971,197123103.0
                  
2014Q18351,446296204.661672106157.3774774190245.7491581596.9
 Q28091,492283190.05774099133.2752752185245.9631141084.9
 Q38871,783330185.266962134138.9821821197239.6653613186.9
 Q48041,905352184.5551,156166143.2749749186248.3691521385.3
 Year3,3356,6261,261190.32393,530503142.63,0963,096758244.82467856988.3
                  
2015Q19772,514454180.6691,606232144.3908908222244.8826996897.2
 Q29132,637475180.0921,816277152.5821821198241.0734734799.7
 Q31,0362,345419178.6861,395189135.2950950230242.4853593289.2
 Q49952,754481174.7821,841259140.5913913222243.5861,26311994.2
 Year3,92110,2501,829178.43296,658956143.63,5923,592873243.03262,79426695.2
                  
2016Q11,0722,534445175.7941,556209134.2978978236241.8905575090.1
 Q21,0902,340422180.31001,350188139.0990990234236.61078017188.0
 Q311,2724,199680161.91433,070411133.91,1291,129269238.31251,19010689.1
 Q41,2343,245559172.41012,112281133.31,1331,133278245.41021,08410496.4
 Year 4,66812,3182,106171.04388,0881,089134.64,2304,2301,018240.64243,63233191.1
                  
2017Q11,3873,754650173.11142,481341137.61,2731,273308242.11268968393.1
 Q21,3693,630611168.41212,382310130.01,2481,248302241.81078237084.8
 Q31,5163,764631167.61342,382302126.81,3821,382329237.81469759091.9
 Q41,4544,292719167.41322,970404135.91,3221,322315238.31312,64221581.5
 Year5,72615,4402,610169.150110,2151,357132.85,2255,2251,254239.95105,33645885.9
                  
2018Q111,5375,758886153.91464,367555127.11,3911,391331238.01611,86715985.2
 Q21,4644,951794160.41493,636482132.61,3151,315312237.11611,82616691.0
 Q31,5934,879777159.31773,463442127.61,4161,416335236.92113,13927888.7
 Q41,5094,376708161.81503,017385127.71,3591,359323237.41602,30619082.2
 Year6,10319,9643,165158.562214,4831,864128.75,4815,4811,301237.36939,13879386.8
                  
2019Q11,6144,901786160.41583,445446129.51,4561,456340233.71962,59222687.1
 Q211,5564,936781158.21693,549461129.81,3871,387320230.72024,63038683.5
 Q311,6824,915790160.61683,401434127.81,5141,514355234.52265,17439876.9
 Q411,4154,899746152.21503,634450123.71,2651,265296234.21707,19556578.5
 Year6,26719,6513,102157.964514,0291,791127.75,6225,6221,312233.379419,5911,57580.4
                  
2020Q111,5275,091776152.41723,736465124.41,3551,355311229.61919,04168075.2
 Q217613,063440143.8922,394284118.5669669157234.31024,20830071.2
 Q311,9165,728889155.11623,974475119.51,7541,754414235.82687,87158474.2
 Q41,6434,432695156.91292,918333114.01,5141,514363239.51875,10440378.9
 Year5,84718,3142,800152.955513,0221,556119.55,2925,2921,244235.174826,2241,96675.0
1 Revised due to additional information.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table 4 (XLS 39KB)
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Table 5 Planning permissions granted for apartment units in Q1 2020 - Q4 2020, classified by region
 Q1 2020Q2 2020Q3 2020Q4 2020Total
Regionunitsunitsunitsunitsunits
Dublin17,3673,3775,1023,51619,362
Mid-East1,0312311,8124423,516
Midlands599996267521
Mid-West883838304468
South-East8233215279609
South-West2833264142231,246
Border20237939161
West1118111534341
Total19,0414,2087,8715,10426,224
1 Q1 2020 - Q3 2020 revised due to additional information.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table 5 (XLS 392KB)
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Table 6 Planning permissions granted for apartment, multi-development and total house units by type of application, Q1 2019 - Q4 2020
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
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 Q4 2020 Table 6 (XLS 11KB)
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Table 7 Summary of planning permissions granted, 2020, classified by region, county and type of development
Number of Permissions Total Floor Area (000 square metres)3
New Construction    New Construction  
Planning Region and CountyDwellings Other  ExtensionsAlterations and ConversionsTotal DwellingsOther  ExtensionsTotal1
Northern and Western1,6291,4811,1565964,862 5553931381,086
Border7628025863022,452 25326975597
Cavan10017112240433 29412091
Donegal3772702721161,035 1337130233
Leitrim49524725173 1411429
Monaghan1561768365480 4311513170
Sligo801336256331 3531873
West8676795702942,410 30212463490
Galway City42709292296 4815871
Galway2500323228951,146 1545425233
Mayo24911817472613 693221122
Roscommon761687635355 3123964
Southern2,5463,3492,4001,3469,641 1,1928083132,313
Mid-West6509837122842,629 26525386603
Clare18721121267677 734825147
Limerick2793623051311,077 10510326234
Tipperary18441019586875 8610234223
South-East8388406133312,622 34220268612
Carlow881156943315 3156896
Kilkenny231299165116811 845920162
Waterford18221318897680 613119112
Wexford33721319175816 1675520242
South-West1,0581,5261,0757314,390 5853531591,098
Cork City108190248185731 2296726321
Cork27439665713782,658 29523187613
Kerry2073702561681,001 615546163
Eastern and Midland2,4683,0413,2842,30111,094 3,1341,3693684,871
Dublin6431,5112,0141,5465,714 1,6929302032,825
Dublin City2677267677242,484 791314731,178
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown1473185043521,321 30614454505
Fingal1282664102721,076 24919848494
South Dublin101201333198833 34527429648
Mid-East1,2439428975503,632 1,1463111061,564
Louth172154167103596 1306922221
Kildare2883032791781,048 3846733483
Meath5652982241221,209 42411430568
Wicklow218187227147779 2096221292
Midland5825883732051,748 29612858483
Laois18716011759523 973717150
Longford871405021298 3329768
Offaly1401348047401 55281093
Westmeath16815412678526 1123524171
State6,6437,8716,8404,24325,597 4,8822,5708198,271
1 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure.
2 Excluding cities.
3 Rounding issues may occur.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table 7 (XLS 395KB)
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Table 8 Number of Planning Permissions granted, 2020, 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 Western1,629423754931214005633,110
Border762191962820112452831,564
West867231792111101552801,546
Southern2,54611270712552421,0691,2425,895
Mid-West65024248171293013721,633
South-East838241953314112712921,678
South West1,058642647526224975782,584
Eastern and Midland2,46827020014099906801,5625,509
Dublin64317777154562229242,154
Mid-East1,24376964532212724002,185
Midland58217972413131862381,170
State6,6434241,2823141821532,1493,36714,514
          
Extensions         
Northern and Western9326834327218--1,156
Border4643823173212--586
West468301115406--570
Southern1,910142926015937--2,400
Mid-West5654034144514--712
South-East475352120539--613
South West8706737266114--1,075
Eastern and Midland2,921125255312832--3,284
Dublin1,86363-215710--2,014
Mid-East768458174811--897
Midland2901717152311--373
State5,76333515114535987--6,840
          
Alterations and Conversions         
Northern and Western3421384226921--596
Border171693113711--302
West171691113210--294
Southern88926517488938--1,346
Mid-West17068592012--284
South-East19276422289--331
South West5271218174117--731
Eastern and Midland1,719311133916356--2,301
Dublin1,213190-189332--1,546
Mid-East391799144413--550
Midland11542472611--205
State2,95071434109321115--4,243
          
All Developments         
Northern and Western2,903248413103172604005634,862
Border1,3971262225689342452832,452
West1,5061221914783261552802,410
Southern5,3455198162333001171,0691,2429,641
Mid-West1,3851322874077353013722,629
South-East1,5051352207595292712922,622
South West2,455252309118128534975784,390
Eastern and Midland7,1087062382323901786801,56211,094
Dublin3,7194307110204982229245,714
Mid-East2,40220011376124452724003,632
Midland987761184662351862381,748
State15,3561,4731,4675688623552,1493,36725,597
- No permissions
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table 8 (XLS 72KB)
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Table 9 Total Floor Area Planned (000 sq.m) in new construction and extensions, 2020, 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 Western55534249325919949
Border25313173195311522
West30221761459426
Southern1,19212543478150202,000
Mid-West265251638533517
South-East3421310645317544
South West58588166256510938
Eastern and Midland3,134739180267137464,503
Dublin1,6926621513587312,621
Mid-East1,14668961043671,458
Midland29696928148424
State4,882898864377345867,452
        
Extensions       
Northern and Western 71161516175138
Border34811109375
West377468163
Southern126413638656313
Mid-West3211131412386
South-East3281069268
South West62211318441159
Eastern and Midland16568960606368
Dublin8950-30331203
Mid-East4915316213106
Midland2636157258
State3611255911414217819
        
Total New Constructions and Extensions       
Northern and Western626492634875241,086
Border28721184296214597
West3392880201310490
Southern1,319166471117215262,313
Mid-West2973617622656603
South-East3742111651419612
South West64710917943109111,098
Eastern and Midland3,299807189327197524,871
Dublin1,78171215165119332,825
Mid-East1,196839912056101,564
Midland3221275422210483
State5,2431,0239234924881038,271
1 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure
- No permissions
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q4 2020 Table 9 (XLS 80KB)
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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. 

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. Alterations to previously granted SHD applications will be covered by revisions published once a year with the Quarter 4 release.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. 

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Scan the QR code below to view this release online or go to
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/pp/planningpermissionsquarter42020/

Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

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

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