Planning Permission Ireland

Planning register

Waterford city and suburbs

Planning applications inside the Waterford city and suburbs, Co. Waterford settlement, as recorded on the statutory register. The area is the CSO’s Census 2022 urban boundary.

Applications
2,613
County
Waterford

What the data shows

The planning register for Waterford city and suburbs contains 2613 total applications. Since 2016, the area has a 90% grant rate out of 2002 applications granted, refused, or part-granted, with 1803 granted, 199 refused, and 0 part-granted. The most common development types are extension at 21%, retention at 14%, commercial at 13%, and change of use at 11%. Recently lodged applications include 227 in 2023, 230 in 2024, and 244 in 2025.

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

90%

of 2,002 applications granted, refused or part-granted since 2016.

Granted
1,803
Refused
199
No decision recorded
611

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

What’s being built

Extension
21%
Retention
14%
Commercial
13%
Change of use
11%
Alterations
8%
New dwelling
8%

Grant rate by category

How each kind of application has been decided in Waterford city and suburbs, 2016–2026.

CategoryGrantedDecidedNationally
Extension96%43595%
Retention92%26190%
Commercial88%24488%
Change of use94%20188%
Alterations90%15292%
New dwelling85%14882%
Housing estate83%13278%
Infrastructure76%11391%
Apartments83%6371%
Other84%6288%
Industrial100%4293%

“Decided” counts applications granted, refused or part-granted — withdrawn and invalid applications are excluded.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

24%

of 103 decided appeals changed the council’s decision, 2016–2026.

Refusals granted on appeal
44% of 43
Permissions refused on appeal
10% of 60
Decision upheld
71
Upheld, conditions varied
7

25 of 103 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 Withdrawn and invalid appeals are excluded, because nothing was decided.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 Waterford city and suburbs

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.