Donegal planning applications

Grant rate by type of development

How each kind of application has been decided in Donegal County Council, 2016–2026.

“Decided” counts applications granted, refused or part-granted — withdrawn and invalid applications are excluded. Types with fewer than 30 decided applications are not listed, because a rate over a handful of applications would not mean anything.

Appeals to An Bord Pleanála

41%

of 426 decided appeals changed the council’s decision, 2016–2026.

Refusals granted on appeal

45% of 94

Permissions refused on appeal

40% of 332

Decision upheld

238

Upheld, conditions varied

13

175 of 426 decided appeals reversed the council either way. Withdrawn and invalid appeals are excluded, because nothing was decided. Appeals are self-selected — only decisions someone chose to challenge appear here — so this is a record of appealed cases, not a measure of the council’s decisions overall.

Appeal outcomes by development type

How often An Bord Pleanála changed the council’s decision in Donegal County Council, by the kind of development appealed.

“Changed on appeal” counts decided appeals where the Board reached a different answer to the council, in either direction. “Refusals granted” is the share of appeals against a refusal that won permission; “Permissions refused” is the reverse. A dash means fewer than 30 cases, which is too few to state a rate. Withdrawn and invalid appeals are excluded because nothing was decided, and appeals split across parts of a development are counted but kept out of every rate. Appeals are self-selected — only decisions someone chose to challenge appear here.

How long appeals take

17 weeks

median, for appeals from Donegal County Council decided since October 2024 (110 appeals). Nationally over the same period: 18 weeks across 3,593 appeals.

Measured from the date the appeal was lodged to the date An Bord Pleanála decided it, for appeals where the register records both. The median peaked at 61 weeks for appeals decided in 2023 and stood at 17 weeks in 2026. Appeals are decided by An Bord Pleanála, not by the council, so these figures describe the Board’s timelines for cases from this area — they are not a measure of how quickly the council works. A small number of records with a decision dated before the lodgement, or more than three years after it, are excluded.