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E-mail: business_stats@cso.ie Seán Clancy (+353) 21 4535500
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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 Q2 2021

CSO statistical release, , 11am

Planning Permissions

Quarter 2 2021

Dwelling units granted planning permission in Quarters 1 and 2 of 2020 and 2021
 HousesApartmentsTotal
Quarter 2 20203,0634,2087,271
Quarter 2 20213,8867,26411,150
Annual % change26.9%72.6%53.3%
January - June 2020 8,15413,24921,403
January - June 20216,97511,13818,113
% change-14.5%-15.9%-15.4%

Number of dwelling units approved down 15.4% in the first two quarters of 2021

Figure 1: Dwelling units approved by type, Q2 2019 - Q2 2021
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When interpreting this data users are advised to note that Strategic Housing Development (SHD) planning permissions can have a significant impact on the number of dwelling units approved and in turn on the annual and quarterly changes. Due to the volatility in the annual and quarterly series, users are advised to focus on the year to date comparisons.

The number of dwelling units granted planning permission in the first two quarters of 2021 was 18,113, of which 11,138 were apartments and 6,975 were houses. The number of apartment units approved decreased by 15.9% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. There was a decrease of 14.5% in houses approved in the first two quarters of 2021, resulting in a total decrease in dwelling units approved of 15.4%. See Headline Table.

The second quarter figures also show that:

  • SHD apartment units approved declined by 33.9% in the first six months of 2021 when compared with the same period in 2020. See Table 7a.
  • One-off houses accounted for 19.0% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in the first half of this year. See Table 1b.
  • Total floor area planned was 3,926 thousand square metres in the first two quarters of 2021. Of this, 53.2% was for new dwellings, 34.9% for other new constructions and 11.8% for extensions. The total floor area planned increased by 6.8% in comparison with the first six months of 2020. See Table 2.
  • In the second quarter of 2021 the total number of planning permissions granted for all developments was 8,529. The total number of dwelling units granted planning permission for the same period was 11,150. See Table 1a & Table 2.

Note: Text under Figure 3(b) amended on 03/12/2021. The figure of 69.9% for planning permissions granted for alterations and conversions was incorrect and has been amended to 69.6%.
X-axis labelHousesPrivate flats/apartments
nullnull/td>
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
Q2202138867264

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 two quarters of 2021, apartments granted planning permissions accounted for between 55% and 66% of approvals granted for total dwelling units. See Figure 2 and Table 1a & Table 5.

Table 1a Summary of new dwelling units granted planning permission, Q1 2018 - Q2 2021
Period Multi- Development HousesAnnual % change One-off housesAnnual % changeAll HousesAnnual % change ApartmentsAnnual % change Total Dwellings (All Houses & Apartments)Annual % change
2018Q14,36776.0%1,3919.3%5,75853.4% 1,867108.4% 7,62564.0%
 Q23,63652.6%1,3155.4%4,95136.4% 1,826121.9% 6,77752.2%
 Q33,46345.4%1,4162.5%4,87929.6% 3,139221.9% 8,01869.2%
 Q43,0171.6%1,3592.8%4,3762.0% 2,306-12.7% 6,682-3.6%
 Year14,48341.8%5,4814.9%19,96429.3% 9,13871.3% 29,10240.1%
2019Q13,445-21.1%1,4564.7%4,901-14.9% 2,59238.8% 7,493-1.7%
Q23,549-2.4%1,3875.5%4,936-0.3% 4,630153.6% 9,56641.2%
Q33,401-1.8%1,5146.9%4,9150.7% 5,17464.8% 10,08925.8%
Q43,63420.5%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%
2020Q13,7368.4%1,355-6.9%5,0913.9% 9,041248.8% 14,13288.6%
 Q22,394-32.5%669-51.8%3,063-37.9% 4,208-9.1% 7,271-24.0%
 Q33,97416.8%1,75415.9%5,72816.5% 7,87152.1% 13,59934.8%
 Q42,918-19.7%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%
2021Q11,428-61.8%1,66122.6%3,089-39.3% 3,874-57.2% 6,963-50.7%
 Q22,100-12.3%1,786167.0%3,88626.9% 7,26472.6% 11,15053.3%
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 1a (XLS 11KB)
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Table 1b Quarterly aggregates of new dwelling units granted planning permission, Q1 2018 - Q2 2021
Period Multi- Development HousesAnnual % change One-off housesAnnual % changeAll HousesAnnual % change ApartmentsAnnual % change Total Dwellings (All Houses & Apartments)Annual % change
2018Jan-Mar4,36776.0%1,3919.3%5,75853.4% 1,867108.4% 7,62564.0%
 Jan-Jun8,00364.6%2,7067.3%10,70945.0% 3,693114.8% 14,40258.2%
 Jan-Sep11,46658.3%4,1225.6%15,58839.8% 6,832153.6% 22,42062.0%
 Jan-Dec14,48341.8%5,4814.9%19,96429.3% 9,13871.3% 29,10240.1%
2019Jan-Mar3,445-21.1%1,4564.7%4,901-14.9% 2,59238.8% 7,493-1.7%
 Jan-Jun6,994-12.6%2,8435.1%9,837-8.1% 7,22295.6% 17,05918.4%
 Jan-Sep10,395-9.3%4,3575.7%14,752-5.4% 12,39681.4% 27,14821.1%
 Jan-Dec14,029-3.1%5,6222.6%19,651-1.6% 19,591114.4% 39,24234.8%
2020Jan-Mar3,7368.4%1,355-6.9%5,0913.9% 9,041248.8% 14,13288.6%
 Jan-Jun6,130-12.4%2,024-28.8%8,154-17.1% 13,24983.5% 21,40325.5%
 Jan-Sep10,104-2.8%3,778-13.3%13,882-5.9% 21,12070.4% 35,00228.9%
 Jan-Dec13,022-7.2%5,292-5.9%18,314-6.8% 26,22433.9% 44,53813.5%
2021Jan-Mar1,428-61.8%1,66122.6%3,089-39.3% 3,874-57.2% 6,963-50.7%
 Jan-Jun3,528-42.4%3,44770.3%6,975-14.5% 11,138-15.9% 18,113-15.4%
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 1b (XLS 11KB)
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A total of 8,529 planning permissions were granted for all developments in the current quarter. Of these permissions, 53.1% were for new constructions, 29.0% for extensions and 17.8% for alterations and conversions. See Table 2 and Figure 3a.

For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Type
New constructions53.1
Extensions29
Alterations and
conversions		17.8
X-axis labelNew constructionsExtensionsAlterations and conversions
2019 Q2384819691224
2019 Q3430321251293
2019 Q4352616111049
2020 Q1379017361123
2020 Q21961874554
2020 Q3475323701419
2020 Q4401018601147
2021 Q1399521911325
2021Q2453224771520

There were 16,040 planning permissions granted for all developments in the first two quarters of 2021. This compares with 10,038 permissions in the same period of 2020, an increase of 59.8%. There was an increase of 78.9% in planning permissions granted for extensions, 69.6% for alterations and conversions and 48.3% for new constructions when compared to the first half of 2020. See Table 2 and Figure 3b.

Table 2 Summary of planning permissions granted, Q1 2013 - Q2 2021
Number of Permissions Total Floor Area (000 square metres)1
Period New Construction DwellingsNew Construction OtherExtensionsAlterations and ConversionsTotal  New Construction DwellingsNew Construction OtherExtensionsTotal2
2013Q18627851,2963323,275 394366169930
 Q27727541,4893533,368 333331170834
 Q39319041,6653753,875 282312229823
 Q47519881,2453993,383 295297159751
 Year3,3163,4315,6951,45913,901 1,3051,3067273,338
2014Q18911,0061,3965403,833 336229180744
 Q28751,0911,5905934,149 296242174712
 Q39621,1831,7054784,328 366379228974
 Q48781,0191,2613463,504 368214172754
 Year3,6064,2995,9521,95715,814 1,3661,0647543,184
2015Q11,0661,0461,4543353,901 525243206973
 Q29911,0211,6633724,047 5273212161,065
 Q31,1281,4921,9424475,009 4945682931,354
 Q41,0841,5651,4134084,470 6016871801,468
 Year4,2695,1246,4721,56217,427 2,1471,8198954,861
2016Q11,1691,6951,6803704,914 5025222561,280
 Q21,2031,7581,8494265,236 5544602311,245
 Q31,4011,9732,1985516,123 8026292621,693
 Q41,3411,5171,5104554,823 6844501911,325
 Year5,1146,9437,2371,80221,096 2,5422,0619405,543
2017Q11,5231,9061,7677635,959 7604212791,461
 Q21,4842,0901,9048016,279 6985312271,455
 Q31,6702,0462,1661,0026,884 7614473021,510
 Q41,5911,8991,6008715,961 9624182131,593
 Year6,2687,9417,4373,43725,083 3,1811,8171,0216,019
2018Q11,7111,7691,6588726,010 1,1465712201,938
 Q21,6392,0852,0591,0406,823 9966062551,857
 Q31,8132,2572,2231,1477,440 1,0976532602,010
 Q41,6781,8831,7509896,300 9084942701,672
 Year6,8417,9947,6904,04826,573 4,1472,3241,0067,477
2019Q11,8232,0431,9241,1536,943 1,0366072041,847
 Q21,7722,0761,9691,2247,041 1,2196522322,103
 Q31,9182,3852,1251,2937,721 1,1988082662,272
 Q41,5961,9301,6111,0496,186 1,3625112222,095
 Year7,1098,4347,6294,71927,891 4,8152,5779258,317
2020Q11,7352,0551,7361,1236,649 1,4768082192,503
 Q28691,0928745543,389 751323991,173
 Q32,1972,5562,3701,4198,542 1,5117183082,537
 Q41,8422,1681,8601,1477,017 1,1447211932,058
 Year6,6437,8716,8404,24325,597 4,8822,5708198,271
2021Q11,9632,0322,1911,3257,511 8646262201,711
 Q22,1422,3902,4771,5208,529 1,2247462452,215
1 Rounding issues may occur.
2 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure.
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 2 (XLS 37KB)
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Planning permission was granted for 7,264 new apartments in the second quarter of 2021.

The region with the highest proportion of these permissions at 56.8% was Dublin with 4,126 approvals, followed by the South-West (20.2%) with 1,467 approvals. The Eastern and Midland Region (made up of Dublin, the Mid-East and the Midland regions) accounted for 5,205 permissions, 71.7% of all apartment units granted planning. The Southern Region (made up of the Mid-West, South East and South West regions) accounted for 26.9% of permissions compared to 1.5% for the Northern and Western Region (Border and West). See Table 6 and Figure 4a.

There were 3,886 housing units granted planning permission in the current quarter. The county with highest proportion of these permissions was Cork at 10.0% with 388 approvals, followed by Westmeath (8.5%) with 330 approvals and Limerick at 7.6%, with 294 planning permissions granted. Leitrim with 32 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
2021 Q2 - Apartment units28744390
2021 Q2 - Multi-development house units1565535

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

The Strategic Housing Development (SHD) 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 two quarters of 2021, the number of SHD apartment units approved fell by 33.9% when compared with the first two quarters of 2020, while the number of SHD housing units approved declined by 77.0%. SHD apartment units accounted for 64.3% of all apartment units granted planning permission, with standard applications accounting for the remaining 35.7%. In the same period, 3,528 multi-development housing units were granted planning permission, 681 or 19.3% were Strategic Housing Development applications compared to 2,847 or 80.7% standard applications. See Table 7a and Figure 5.

Table 3 Summary of planning permissions granted, Q2 2021, classified by region, county and type of development
 Number of Permissions Total Floor Area (000 square metres)1
Planning Region and CountyNew Construction Dwellings New Construction Other  ExtensionsAlterations and ConversionsTotal New Construction Dwellings New Construction Other  ExtensionsTotal2
Northern and Western6114524111621,636 17110446321
Border30526719377842 896823179
Cavan42544716159 1210426
Donegal158957129353 4616870
Leitrim171816556 73212
Monaghan56572914156 1532349
Sligo32433013118 97622
West30618521885794 823623141
Galway City89312977 26210
Galway3147869726356 37121160
Mayo110375722226 317644
Roscommon4153338135 1212427
           
Southern8389928314593,120 42819282702
Mid-West26328621690855 1105219181
Clare64656728224 2010434
Limerick1291097134343 6026692
Tipperary701127828288 3017855
South-East260220218107805 1246024208
Carlow3227271399 185326
Kilkenny72725324221 4219566
Waterford53626235212 1416940
Wexford103597635273 4919775
South-West3154863972621,460 1958040314
Cork City30588759234 112158135
Cork3203311212144870 645223140
Kerry821179859356 1912940
           
Eastern and Midland6939461,2358993,773 6254491171,191
Dublin1594917736532,076 33527955670
Dublin City79252280300911 2175817292
Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown32108220156516 761815109
Fingal308612697339 177115103
South Dublin1845147100310 261328166
Mid-East3742813301891,174 18513045360
Louth68605131210 388551
Kildare65578856266 692111100
Meath17611310758454 47331999
Wicklow65518444244 31699109
Midland16017413257523 1044017161
Laois44484916157 169429
Longford243819788 76317
Offaly42612913145 1320640
Westmeath50273521133 684476
           
State2,1422,3902,4771,5208,529 1,2247462452,215
1 Rounding issues may occur
2 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure
3 Excluding cities
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 3 (XLS 727KB)
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Table 4(a) Planning permissions granted, Q2 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 Western61120113143111361551,063
Border30510689-39186572
West30610455384569491
Southern838331872714173623521,830
Mid-West263105942610996549
South-East26011398357381480
South West31512891596180175801
Eastern and Midland69368664116352195011,639
Dublin1594622492567318650
Mid-East3741431106687127655
Midland1608337146556334
State2,1421213668233637171,0084,532
          
EXTENSIONS         
Northern and Western34619128197--411
Border161125294--193
West185776103--218
Southern704323383717--831
Mid-West18486297--216
South-East189772103--218
South West33117204187--397
Eastern and Midland1,126358103620--1,235
Dublin7252411157--773
Mid-East296744136--330
Midland10543587--132
State2,1768653269244--2,477
          
ALTERATIONS and CONVERSIONS         
Northern and Western10540-278--162
Border5017-145--77
West5523-133--85
Southern33360374412--459
Mid-West531516123--90
South-East7818-182--107
South West202272-247--262
Eastern and Midland7081231113719--899
Dublin53380-22513--653
Mid-East146271474--189
Midland2916-552--57
State1,1462234208839--1,520
          
ALL DEVELOPMENTS         
Northern and Western1,062791252429261361551,636
Border51639731213129186842
West54640521216144569794
Southern1,8751252234295463623523,120
Mid-West500336612231610996855
South-East52736461121107381805
South-West848561111951201801751,460
Eastern and Midland2,527226756289742195013,773
Dublin1,4171503274945673182,076
Mid-East8164836182616871271,174
Midland29428361714136556523
State5,4644304231282131467171,0088,529
- No permissions
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 4a (XLS 88KB)
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Table 4(b) Total Floor Area Planned (000 square metres)1 in new construction and extensions, Q2 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 UseTotal2
NEW CONSTRUCTIONS       
Northern and Western17110741163275
Border896565-1156
West82419662119
Southern42826109232014620
Mid-West110835514162
South-East12413221086184
South West1955529103274
Eastern and Midland625257571116191,074
Dublin335161198416615
Mid-East18579361211316
Midland1041719111144
State1,22429424014532351,969
        
EXTENSIONS       
Northern and Western263258246
Border122126123
West141133123
Southern477978382
Mid-West112121219
South-East132333124
South West233534140
Eastern and Midland622239184117
Dublin3216133155
Mid-East2162114145
Midland80151217
State135321520349245
        
TOTAL NEW CONSTRUCTIONS and EXTENSIONS       
Northern and Western197137715144321
Border100857762179
West97520892141
Southern47534119302817702
Mid-West1211036625181
South-East137152513117208
South West21895811145314
Eastern and Midland6862806011924221,191
Dublin3681772101716670
Mid-East207853813153360
Midland1121820623161
State1,35832625516566442,215
1 Rounding issues may occur
2 For categories where floor area is a relevant measure
NOTE: 0 implies less than 500 sq.m
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 4b (XLS 95KB)
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Table 5 Summary of planning permissions granted for new houses and apartments, Q1 2013 - Q2 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
 Q31433,070411133.9 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
                     
2018Q11464,367555127.1 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
 Q21693,549461129.8 1,3871,387320230.7 1,5564,936781158.2 2024,63038683.5
 Q31683,401434127.8 1,5141,514355234.5 1,6824,915790160.6 2265,17439876.9
 Q41503,634450123.7 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
                     
2020Q11723,736465124.4 1,3551,355311229.6 1,5275,091776152.4 1919,04168075.2
 Q2922,394284118.5 669669157234.3 7613,063440143.8 1024,20830071.2
 Q31623,974475119.5 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
 Q21202,100249118.7 1,7861,786431241.1 1,9063,886680175.0 2227,26449768.5
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 5 (XLS 42KB)
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Table 6 Apartment units granted planning permission by region, Q1 2020 - Q2 2021
 Q1 2020Q2 2020Q3 2020Q4 20202020Q1 2021Q2 2021
Regionunitsunitsunitsunitsunitsunitsunits
Dublin7,3673,3775,1023,51619,3623,0734,126
Mid-East1,0312311,8124423,516327733
Midlands59999626752151346
Mid-West88383830446849214
South-East823321527960961271
South-West2833264142231,2461741,467
Border20237939161556
West111811153434113451
Total9,0414,2087,8715,10426,2243,8747,264
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 6 (XLS 388KB)
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Table 7a Apartment, multi-development and total house units granted planning permission by type of application, Q1 2018 - Q2 20211
Apartment unitsMulti-development house unitsTotal house units2
Period SHDNon-SHDTotalSHDNon-SHDTotalSHDNon-SHDTotal
2018Q101,8671,86704,3674,36705,7585,758
 Q21991,6271,8266682,9683,6366684,2834,951
 Q31,7261,4133,1399502,5133,4639503,9294,879
 Q41,1421,1642,3066112,4063,0176113,7654,376
 Year3,0676,0719,1382,22912,25414,4832,22917,73519,964
2019Q18011,7912,5922883,1573,4452884,6134,901
 Q22,3762,2544,6301,1602,3893,5491,1603,7764,936
 Q33,2121,9625,1746592,7423,4016594,2564,915
 Q45,8831,3127,1951,8391,7953,6341,8393,0604,899
 Year12,2727,31919,5913,94610,08314,0293,94615,70519,651
2020Q17,2911,7509,0411,9371,7993,7361,9383,1535,091
 Q23,5466624,2081,0171,3772,3941,0172,0463,063
 Q36,3771,4947,8711,8492,1253,9741,8493,8795,728
 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
 Q24,3902,8747,2645351,5652,1005353,3513,886
1 Quarter 2 of 2018 was the first quarter SHD planning permissions were granted.
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 Q2 2021 Table 7a (XLS 38KB)
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Table 7b Percentage breakdown of apartment, multi-development and total house units granted planning permission by type of application, Q1 2018 - Q2 20211
Apartment unitsMulti-development house unitsTotal house units2
Period SHDNon-SHDTotalSHDNon-SHDTotalSHDNon-SHDTotal
2018Q10.0%100.0%100.0%0.0%100.0%100.0%0.0%100.0%100.0%
 Q210.9%89.1%100.0%18.4%81.6%100.0%13.5%86.5%100.0%
 Q355.0%45.0%100.0%27.4%72.6%100.0%19.5%80.5%100.0%
 Q449.5%50.5%100.0%20.3%79.7%100.0%14.0%86.0%100.0%
 Year33.6%66.4%100.0%15.4%84.6%100.0%11.2%88.8%100.0%
2019Q130.9%69.1%100.0%8.4%91.6%100.0%5.9%94.1%100.0%
 Q251.3%48.7%100.0%32.7%67.3%100.0%23.5%76.5%100.0%
 Q362.1%37.9%100.0%19.4%80.6%100.0%13.4%86.6%100.0%
 Q481.8%18.2%100.0%50.6%49.4%100.0%37.5%62.5%100.0%
 Year62.6%37.4%100.0%28.1%71.9%100.0%20.1%79.9%100.0%
2020Q180.6%19.4%100.0%51.8%48.2%100.0%38.1%61.9%100.0%
 Q284.3%15.7%100.0%42.5%57.5%100.0%33.2%66.8%100.0%
 Q381.0%19.0%100.0%46.5%53.5%100.0%32.3%67.7%100.0%
 Q454.4%45.6%100.0%37.9%62.1%100.0%25.0%75.0%100.0%
 Year76.2%23.8%100.0%45.4%54.6%100.0%32.3%67.7%100.0%
2021Q171.6%28.4%100.0%10.2%89.8%100.0%4.7%95.3%100.0%
 Q260.4%39.6%100.0%25.5%74.5%100.0%13.8%86.2%100.0%
1 Quarter 2 of 2018 was the first quarter SHD planning permissions were granted.
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 Q2 2021 Table 7b (XLS 39KB)
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Table 8 Dwelling units granted planning permission by county, Q2 2021
CountyAll Houses Apartments Total Dwellings
Carlow121 17 138
Cavan38 7 45
Clare96 1 97
Cork388 1,452 1,840
Donegal200 26 226
Dublin220 4,126 4,346
Galway151 14 165
Kerry80 15 95
Kildare284 323 607
Kilkenny247 141 388
Laois85 24 109
Leitrim32 18 50
Limerick294 176 470
Longford34 - 34
Louth59 317 376
Mayo128 35 163
Meath192 51 243
Monaghan58 5 63
Offaly58 23 81
Roscommon52 2 54
Sligo34 - 34
Tipperary168 37 205
Waterford57 35 92
Westmeath330 299 629
Wexford282 78 360
Wicklow198 42 240
Total3,886 7,264 11,150
- No permissions
Open in Excel: Planning Permissions Q2 2021 Table 8 (XLS 10KB)
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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. 

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. 

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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/planningpermissionsquarter22021/

Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

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

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