Over 85 per cent of planning retention applications to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in the past five years were granted planning permission, according to figures released by the council. There were 532 retention applications lodged with the council in 2001-05, and 455 of these were given permission.
Retention permission is applied for when construction or alteration of a building has already taken place without planning permission. The applicant applies to have the work approved retrospectively.
Those applying for retention do so under section 34 of the Planning and Development Act 2000.
Most applications are lodged following action taken by the council's enforcement section.
The section has over 400 live files on hand and around 30 new files are opened every month following complaints from the public. Dublin City Council released similar retention approval figures earlier this year.
Declan McCullough, senior executive officer at Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council's planning department, said the council granted permission for 86 per cent of routine planning applications and the retention rate was lower than that.
"Retention applications can also often be for minor modifications to a building," he said. "It should also be noted that just because someone gets approval for retention doesn't prevent the local authority from continuing with enforcement proceedings.
"If planning laws are breached we have to go to time and energy to investigate them and we are empowered to continue to prosecute. We have recovered our costs in the past."
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