Planning permissions for new homes increased in 2025
Planning permissions for new homes increased in 2025, signalling a rebound in development activity after a sharp decline the previous year, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
A total of 34,974 dwelling units were granted planning permission in 2025, an annual increase of 7.9% compared with 32,401 units in 2024.
The rise marks a recovery from the 21.4% fall recorded in 2024.
House and apartment approvals both increased over the year. Apartment permissions rose by 8.8% to 14,359 units, accounting for 41% of all dwellings approved.
Meanwhile, house approvals climbed 7.3%, bringing the total number of houses granted planning permission to 20,615 — the highest level recorded since 2009, when 26,814 houses were approved.
Within the housing category, multi-development housing drove much of the growth.
Permissions for these schemes rose by 8.5% year-on-year, compared with a more modest 3.9% increase in one-off houses.
Dublin remained the dominant location for apartment development.
Across the four Dublin local authorities, 7,366 apartments were granted planning permission in 2025, representing a 20.3% increase on the previous year.
Overall, the capital accounted for more than half (51%) of all apartments approved nationwide. Cork ranked second with 2,191 apartment approvals, followed by Meath with 772 units.
In the housing segment, Cork recorded the largest number of house permissions at 3,132 units, or 15% of the national total.
Dublin followed with 1,986 units (10%), while Wicklow accounted for 1,764 units (9%).
Strategic Housing Developments (SHDs) also saw a significant rebound. A total of 13,321 SHD dwelling units were approved in 2025, up 28% from 10,439 units in 2024.
The increase contrasts with a steep 46% decline in SHD approvals recorded in 2024.
The CSO also reported strong growth in the final quarter of the year. In the fourth quarter of 2025, 8,208 dwelling units received planning permission, up 19% from 6,890 units in the same period of 2024.
House approvals rose by 22% during the quarter, while apartment permissions increased by 16%. Apartments accounted for 3,378 units, or 41% of all approvals in the quarter.
Overall planning activity increased substantially.
A total of 7,455 planning permissions for all developments were granted in the fourth quarter, a 27% rise from 5,878 in the same period of 2024.
Of these permissions, 1,647 related to new construction dwellings, 2,603 to other new construction projects, 1,828 to extensions, and 1,377 to alterations and conversions.
Commenting on the figures, CSO statistician Shane O’Sullivan said the data showed a clear year-on-year increase in approvals both annually and in the final quarter of 2025, indicating renewed momentum in planning activity across the housing sector.
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