The number of planning permissions granted in
the fourth quarter of last year was almost twice that of the same period in 2014, latest figures show.
The figures from the Central Statistics Office say permission was granted for 4,017 homes, compared with 2,057 for the same period in 2014, representing an increase of 95.3 per cent.
In a breakdown of that figure, planning permission was granted for 2,754 houses in the fourth quarter of 2015 and 1,905 in the fourth quarter of 2014, representing an increase of 44.6 per cent.
Apartments up by 730%
There was a huge increase in planning permissions for apartments. The figure for the last quarter of 2015 reached 1,263, compared with 152 units for the same period in 2014, representing an increase of 730.9 per cent.
One-off houses accounted for 22.7 per cent of all new homes granted planning permission in this quarter.
The total number of planning permissions granted for all developments was 4,470. This compares with 3,504 in the fourth quarter of 2014, an increase of 27.6 per cent
‘Still low’
Total floor area planned was 1,468,000sq m in the fourth quarter of 2015. Of this, 40.9 per cent was for new homes, 46.8 per cent for other new buildings and 12.3 per cent for extensions. The total floor area planned increased by 94.7 per cent in comparison with the same quarter in 2014.
Planning permissions for new buildings for agriculture went up to 420 in the final months of last year. This compares to 165 permissions in the same quarter of 2014.
An analyst from Davy said, “While these permissions may not all translate into housing starts and could unwind again in Q1 2016, the data is perhaps a signal of a belated pick-up in house-building activity.
“Nonetheless, activity still remains at exceptionally low levels; in 2015, planning permission was granted for just 13,044 units – well below current demographic demand.”
