Photograph: iStockThere are almost 41,000 dormant or non-activated planning permissions for apartments in the Greater Dublin Area, according to figures from the Building Control Management System (BCMS). The figures also show that just one in four apartment units granted planning permission since 2020 have commenced construction. They show that there were in excess of 35,000 planning applications for apartments in both 2021 and 2022, with 22,446 and 20,809 granted planning. Listen | 37:31However, as interest rates began to rise and margins were squeezed, planning applications for apartments dropped to 12,997 in 2023 and 12,113 in 2024 with planning granted for 10,718 and 6,104 units. More generally, there were 193,758 planning applications for all housing types in the eastern and midlands region between 2020 and the first half of 2025.
