THE NUMBER of new commercial and residential buildings completed in the State last year was 82 per cent lower than in 2007, according to a new survey.

A total of 17,587 new buildings were identified last year, compared to 96,000 at the height of the construction boom in 2007.

GeoDirectory, a subsidiary of An Post, said the number of new buildings recorded by An Post delivery staff was 23 per cent (5,374) lower than in 2009.

There was a 61 per cent fall in the number of new buildings recorded in Dublin (982). Despite showing a year-on-year decrease of 23 per cent, Cork had the largest number of additions with 2,577.

Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Sligo and Wexford bucked the national trend and showed small increases. The average increase recorded across these counties was 8 per cent, with the largest increase of 33 per cent being recorded in Leitrim.

Carlow showed a year-on-year decrease of 55 per cent.

GeoDirectory, which compiles the figures with Ordnance Survey Ireland, said there were 14,495 new residential buildings in 2010, 2,137 commercial buildings and 955 dual-purpose buildings.

Last year’s additions bring the total number of buildings in the State to 1,878,824.

A study by the National Institute of Regional and Spatial Analysis last year estimated there were 300,000 homes lying empty across the State.