Planning Permission Ireland

Planning register

Swords

Planning applications inside the Swords, Co. Dublin settlement, as recorded on the statutory register. The area is the CSO’s Census 2022 urban boundary.

Applications
1,606
County
Dublin

What the data shows

The planning register for Swords contains a total of 1606 applications, with recent lodgements showing 90 in 2023, 139 in 2024, and 149 in 2025. Since 2011, there have been 1325 applications granted, refused, or part-granted, resulting in an 87% grant rate that reflects 1148 granted, 165 refused, and 12 part-granted decisions. The most common development types recorded are extensions at 39%, retention at 11%, alterations at 11%, and change of use at 8%. Recent cases in the area have resulted in various outcomes, including granted permissions, invalid applications, compliance submissions, and withdrawn proposals.

An automated reading of the figures on this page. Every statement reflects the register data shown above; it is not advice or a prediction.

Planning intelligence

Grant rate

87%

of 1,325 applications granted, refused or part-granted since 2011.

Granted
1,148
Refused
165
Part granted, part refused
12
Withdrawn
42
Invalid
129
Exempt — no permission needed
3
Compliance submission
78
No decision recorded
29

Historical outcomes from the statutory register. Not a prediction for any individual application.

What’s being built

Extension
39%
Retention
11%
Alterations
11%
Change of use
8%
Commercial
7%
New dwelling
5%

Grant rate by category

How each kind of application has been decided in Swords, 2016–2026.

CategoryGrantedDecidedNationally
Extension93%41695%
Retention74%10990%
Alterations92%7792%
Change of use89%6488%
Commercial81%5888%
New dwelling67%4582%
Infrastructure78%3291%
Demolition58%3186%

“Decided” counts applications granted, refused or part-granted — withdrawn and invalid applications are excluded. Categories 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

23%

of 121 decided appeals changed the council’s decision, 2011–2026.

Refusals granted on appeal
45% of 51
Permissions refused on appeal
7% of 70
Decision upheld
79
Upheld, conditions varied
14
Part granted, part refused
4

28 of 121 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 Withdrawn and invalid appeals are excluded, because nothing was decided.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.

Activity over time

Applications lodged, by year

Grant rate, by year of decision

Recently lodged in Swords

ListMap

Contains Irish Public Sector Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Settlement boundary: CSO Census 2022 urban areas (Tailte Éireann). Always confirm against the relevant authority’s official register.