Planning permission was granted for 25,401 dwelling units in the first quarter of 2004, an 87.6% increase on the same period in 2003 (13,541), according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
Breaking down the figures, permission was granted for 17,054 houses and 8,347 apartments.
One-off houses accounted for 34.3% of all new houses granted planning permission in this quarter.