Planning permission approvals were up 24.7pc in Q1 – CSO

Planning permission approvals were up 24.7pc in the first quarter of 2013, new figures from the CSO showed today. 

The year-on-year increase was the biggest since 2011 although the figures are coming off low bases.

First quarter figures showed:that planning permissions were granted for 1,860 houses in the first quarter of 2013 and 1,420 in the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of 31pc.

Permissions were also granted for 448 apartment units, compared with 431 units for the previous quarter, an increase of 3.9pc.

.One-off houses accounted for 33.5pc of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in this quarter.

The total number of planning permissions granted for all developments was 3,275. This compares with 3,320 in the fourth quarter of 2012, a decrease of 1.4pc.

Total floor area planned was 930 thousand square metres in the first quarter of 2013.

Of this, 42.4pc was for new dwellings, 39.4pc for other new constructions and 18.2pc for extensions.

The total floor area planned increased by 21.9pc in comparison with the fourth quarter of 2012. Source: The Irish Independent