More precise figures for vacant housing stock outside the Greater Dublin Area are needed to get the planning process back on track, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) said yesterday.

Although a number of reports have been published containing figures for the level of empty property around the country, the figures have a disparity of between 17 per cent and 47 per cent. The studies have been carried out by organisations including NUI Maynooth, Goodbody and UCD.

There are believed to be between 352,414 and 301,682 vacant houses in Ireland. Estimates for holiday homes range between 49,789 and 73,476.