Planning Permission Experts Rubbish 60,000 Homes Target
Irish builders face impossible odds to hit 60,000 new homes yearly amid planning delays and zoning failures.
Construction leaders from the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and Irish Home Builders Association push for at least 60,000 housing units annually to tackle surging demand. They base this on fresh population growth data from the CSO and European Commission reports, which outpace older forecasts. Current planning permission processes, rooted in 2012-2016 low-growth estimates, fail to match Ireland’s rapid expansion and housing shortages.
Experts stress immediate action on residential land zoning by local authorities. Outdated policies hinder housing scheme approval, as noted in the Housing Commission report, ESRI’s structural demand analysis, and draft National Planning Framework. These documents call for far higher output than the framework’s 50,000 homes baseline, now deemed insufficient amid new migration and growth trends.
To reach 60,000 units, forward planning must secure zoned land and infrastructure like water, electricity, and transport. CIF Director of Housing and Planning Conor O’Connell highlights member reports of severe delays in enabling works. Without concurrent utility advancements, planning permission timelines block progress, demanding more local authority resources for housing delivery.
Local councils hold the power to vary development plans, zoning extra residential lands and boosting An Bord Pleanála decision efficiency. Adequate funding for utilities remains critical, as builders cannot construct without connections. This push counters ongoing shortages fueled by high population surges since pre-2016 levels.
The call underscores risks in material contravention of growth projections and potential flood-risk development oversights without updated zoning. Industry voices urge swift policy shifts to enable the target, ensuring flexible land assessments and infrastructure alignment for sustainable housing growth.
Originally reported in Extra.ie on Mon, 05 Jan 2026 09:58:23 +0000. Full story
