Apartment permissions down 20%

The number of apartments being granted planning permission has plummeted in the first three months of the year, according to figures published today.

The Central Statistics data shows that just under 20 per cent fewer apartments were given the green light by authorities, compared to the first quarter of 2006.

Overall, the number of planning permissions given to domestic dwellings was down 8.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2007, compared to the same period in 2006.

This figures show that for the first quarter, planning permissions were granted for 4,884 apartment units, compared with 6,070 units for the same period in 2006, a decrease of 19.5 per cent.

Planning permissions were granted for 20,538 new dwelling units, compared to 22,524 new dwelling units in the same quarter of 2006, a decrease of 8.8 per cent.

Permission was given for 15,654 houses in the first quarter of 2007 and 16,454 in the first quarter of 2006. This is a fall of 4.9 per cent. One-off houses accounted for 23.1 per cent of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in this quarter

The total number of permissions granted for all developments in the first quarter of 2007 was 15,388, compared to 11,890 in the first quarter of 2006, an increase of 29.4 per cent.