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Shift to apartment living continues, CSO figures show

The number of dwelling units approved for planning is down 15.6% in the first three quarters of 2021, from 35,002 last year to 29,541 this year, new CSO figures show.

Of these permissions, 18,165 were apartments and 11,376 were houses.

When compared to the same period in 2020, the number of units approved decreased by 14% for apartments, 18.1% for houses, and  15.6% for all dwellings.

The third-quarter figures also show that strategic housing development (SHD) apartment units approved declined by 28.6% in the first nine months of 2021, when compared with the same period in 2020, figures show. 

Multi-development houses accounted for 20% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in the first nine months of this year.

Total floor area planned was 6,342 thousand square metres in the first three quarters of 2021.

Of this, 53.5% was for new dwellings, 35% for other new constructions, and 11.5% for extensions. The total floor area planned increased by 2.1% in comparison with the first nine months of 2020.

Planning permission was granted for 5,352 apartments in Dublin county in the third quarter of 2021. This accounted for 76.2% of total apartment units granted approval in the State.

Trend

In quarter 3 of 2019, for the first time, more apartments than houses were granted planning permission, a trend which has continued up to the current quarter.

In the first three quarters of 2021, apartments granted planning permission accounted for 61.5% of all approvals granted for homes.