The total number of homes approved in the second quarter (Q2) of this year was down 2.4% compared with the same period last year, according to official figures.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) said that 8,513 homes were granted planning permission during the quarter, compared with 8,723 in the same period last year.

The drop was less severe than the 28% slump recorded in the first quarter.

Houses up 36%

The CSO figures showed that approvals for houses, which had fallen in Q1, were up by more than 36% compared with Q2 last year. Apartment permissions, however, dropped by 31%.

Houses accounted for almost 60% of the homes granted permission in the three months to the end of June.

Planning permission for 3,852 houses in multi-development schemes was granted during the three months – an annual increase of 52%.

Variations

Across the four local authorities in Dublin, there was an annual decline of 25% in the total number of dwelling units approved in Q2. The number of houses approved rose by 151%, compared with a fall of 48% in the number of apartments.

The CSO cautions against extrapolating long-term trends from data during a single quarter, as the figures can vary significantly from quarter to quarter if a large development or several large developments are approved within the same period.

“Additionally, changes to applications processes for Strategic Housing Developments (SHD) and related issues in An Bord Pleanála in 2022 may impact the number of planning permissions granted over recent quarters,” it adds.