The four local authorities in County Dublin have experienced an upsurge in applications from developers for planning permissions over the past month. The position is in contrast to previous years when August was a traditionally quiet month.
If approved, the projects would represent a significant buoyancy in an industry which the Construction Industry Federation says is experiencing a downturn of about 22 percent on last year's national output.
One explanation for the upsurge in applications is the higher densities now acceptable in the Dublin area and the roll out of drainage and water supply projects, as recommended by the Bacon report.
The downturn is worse in provincial cities according to Mr Ciaran Ryan of the CIF, reaching as high as 40 per cent in some areas.
While the downturn in Dublin's housing output is currently only about 10 percent below last year's levels Mr Ryan says the impact of the planning upsurge is unlikely to change that by the end of the year.
He argues that not all planning applications will translate into planning permissions, insisting in particular that most large schemes will end up at An Bord Pleanβla as a matter of course.
Mr Ryan says 17,000 housing units are needed to meet demand in Dublin.
The output this year is expected to be less than 10,000.
