Building mad: 12,325 new dwellings approved in 2025

Approved residential units reached 12,325 in 2025, the third-highest annual total ever, while approvals on ODZ land more than doubled to a record 226 units.

The figures published by the Planning Authority show that new dwelling units in 2025 marked a 41% increase over units approved the previous year, signalling a sharp resurgence in residential development.

The 2025 record is only surpassed by the peak construction years of 2018 and 2019.

The latest statistics also reveal that residential development over the past decade has accelerated dramatically compared with the previous one.

Between 2016 and 2025, the authority approved 96,194 dwelling units—more than double the 43,912 units approved between 2007 and 2015.

Between 2007 and 2015, the Planning Authority approved an average of about 4,900 homes a year. Between 2016 and 2025, that average rose to more than 9,600 homes annually.

ODZ units and greenfield sites

One of the most striking trends in the 2025 data is the sharp increase in approvals outside development zones (ODZ). The authority approved 226 new dwelling units in ODZ areas, more than double the 104 approved in 2024 and the highest annual figure recorded since at least 2007.

Most of these applications involve the redevelopment of farmhouses or the conversion of older buildings, permitted by the rural policy.

Although ODZ approvals still accounted for only 1.8% of all approved dwellings in 2025, the increase marks a notable departure from previous years. By comparison, ODZ approvals represented 1.2% of the total in 2024 and had fallen as low as 0.1% in 2011.

Development on previously undeveloped greenfield land—land in development zones which was not previously developed—also increased. A total of 2,703 dwelling units were approved on greenfield sites in 2025, up from 1,649 the year before.

Greenfield projects accounted for 21.9% of all approved dwellings, while the remaining 78.1%—or 9,622 units—were located on brownfield sites through redevelopment, replacement or conversion of existing buildings.

Despite the increase, the proportion of development on greenfield land remains well below the levels recorded in the early 2010s, when it peaked at 36.2% of annual approvals in 2012.

The figures also show a record year for dwelling conversions. The authority approved 2,781 converted residential units in 2025, the highest number recorded in the 19-year dataset.

Apartments and penthouses continued to dominate new residential development, accounting for 10,745 approved units. Maisonettes totalled 1,076 approvals, while only 350 terraced houses were approved, confirming the continuing shift towards higher-density residential development.