Planning approvals for apartments triple, figures show

The number of new homes approved by planners almost doubled in the second quarter of 2015 - with the number of approvals for new apartments rising more than threefold.

However, total planning approvals which include civil engineering and commercial projects among others fell sightly during the period, suggesting a change in planned activity towards a greater focus on new home building.

According to latest figures from the CSO, planning permissions were granted for 3,010 new homes in the second quarter of 2015, compared with just 1,606 for the similar period in 2014, an increase of 87.4 per cent.

Broken down, the figures show that planning permissions were granted for 2,637 houses in the second quarter of 2015 and 1,492 in the second quarter of 2014, an increase of 76.7per cent.

In the case of apartments the second quarter of 2014 saw just 114 apartments approved across the State - but in 2015 this had risen to 373 apartments.

Apartments are more likely to be built in cities, particularly Dublin, than rural areas indicating that a significant rise in apartment building is likely to be taking place in the capital.

The figures showed:

* One-off houses accounted for 27.3 per cent of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in this quarter.

* The total number of planning permissions granted for all developments - housing and others - was 4,038. This compares with 4,149 in the second quarter of 2014, a decrease of 2.7per cent.

*Just over half the total floor area planned in the second quarter of 2015 was for new dwellings. Almost 29 per cent was for “other new constructions” and 21.1 per cent for extensions. The total floor area planned increased by 43.8 per cent in comparison with the same quarter in 2014.

* Planning permissions for new agricultural buildings increased to 196 in quarter 2, 2015. This compares to 137 permissions in the similar quarter of 2014.

Regionally the figures showed the lowest number of planning approvals for new homes was in Galway City where just three new homes were approved in the second quarter of 2015. The next least was in Roscommon where seven were approved, followed by Leitrim where just eight were approved.

A total of 153 new homes were approved in the four local authorities in Dublin in quarter 2, 2015. The highest number of new home approvals was granted by Cork (excluding the city), which approved 115 new homes.

In joint second place were Wexford and Meath with 49, and these were followed by Kildare with 46.