New-house approval up 11%
Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that for the first quarter of 2005, planning permissions were granted for 18,913 new houses, compared with 17,054 units for the same period in 2004, an increase of 10.9%.
The first-quarter figures also show that planning permissions were granted for 25,350 new dwellings. This is a slight decrease when compared to the same quarter of 2004, when there were 25,401 planning permissions granted.
Planning permissions were granted for 6,437 new apartments in the first quarter of 2005 and 8,347 in the first quarter of 2004.
This is a decrease of 22.9%.
One-off houses accounted for 27.1% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in this quarter.
This compares with 34.3% for the same period in 2004.
Total floor-area planned was 4,711,000 square metres in the first quarter of 2005. Of this, 70% was for new dwellings, 20.9% for other new constructions and 9.1% for extensions.
The total floor-area planned increased by 5.6% in comparison with the same quarter of 2004.
