Massive drop in planning permissions for new homes in Laois

The number of planning permissions granted for housing units in Laois in the first half of the year is three times less than recorded in 2024.

 That's according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) which reveal that planning permissions granted for new homes in the county were down 69% up to the end of June 2025. There were a massive 723 housing units granted planning permission in Laois between January and June 2024 but this fell significantly to just 222 in the first two quarters of 2025. Apartments have also seen a drop off in planning applications granted. There was 39 apartments granted planning in the first six months of 2025 compared to 63 over the same period last year. 

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Commenting on the release, Shane O'Sullivan, Statistician in the Housing Division, said: “The number of units granted planning permission in April, May, and June (Q2) 2025 was 7,447, of which, 4,722 were for houses and 2,725 were for apartments. The number of apartments approved decreased by 21.4% when compared with Q2 2024. The number of houses approved in Q2 2025 fell by 6.4% over the same period. There was an annual decline of 12.5% in the total number of dwelling unit approvals in Q2 2025, following an annual fall of 2.5% in Q1 2025."