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Sharp drop in planning permissions for houses

Official figures show that COVID-19 restrictions led to a slump in planning permissions in the second quarter of this year.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) said permissions for 6,807 houses and apartments were granted in the three months to the end of June, down 29.2% from a year earlier.

Apartments overtake houses

Houses suffered the biggest hit, with a 37.9% drop to 3,063. Apartment permissions were down by 19.9% to 3,744.

Figures for apartments had shown a dramatic increase in the first quarter of this year, before the impact of pandemic restrictions.

In the third quarter of last year, permissions granted for apartments began to outstrip houses for the first time, and this trend has continued, with apartments accounting for between 55% and 65% of total new homes granted permission in the first half of this year.