Number of homes granted planning permission falls 28%

The number of homes granted planning permission dropped 28% between January and March, when compared with the same time last year.

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that 8,387 units were granted permission, down from 11,659 during the same period in 2023.

Houses accounted for 58% of all dwelling units granted planning permission, while apartments made up the remaining 42%.

The number of houses granted planning permission fell by more than 20%, while apartment approvals declined by almost 37%.

Dr David Duffy, Director of Property Industry Ireland said today’s figures show that the slowdown was driven by a decline in permissions for apartments.

“This highlights the significant viability and funding challenges to deliver this type of home,” he said.

“Once delivered these 11,659 planning permissions will provide homes for close to 21,500 people.” he added.

The CSO figures show there was a 9% fall in the number of one-off houses receiving permission, with just 1,288 units getting approval in the three month period.

Meanwhile, there was an annual decline of almost 24% in the number of multi-development houses receiving planning permission, compared with an annual increase of almost 54% in the final quarter of last year.

Across the four local authorities of Dublin, planning permission was granted for 2,003 apartments in the first quarter.

These accounted for almost 60% of all apartments granted planning permission in the state in the first three months of the year.

The CSO said there was an annual decrease of 57% in the total number of Strategic Housing Developments (SHD) dwelling units approved.