The number of planning permissions granted by Galway County Council in the third quarter of 2024 is up by 27% – signalling an increase in housing supply is on the way.

Latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures confirmed that permissions for new dwellings in County Galway increased by 32 in the three months from July to September of 2024 compared with the previous year.

There was a total of 158 planning permissions granted by the County Council in the three months to September, including 148 houses and ten apartments.

The number of new houses granted planning permission in Galway City was up from five to 15 in the third quarter of 2024.

Some 96 planning permissions for extensions were granted in the third quarter of last year – 68 in Galway County and 28 in Galway City.

But there was a fall-off in the number of apartments granted planning permission in that time – down from 51 in the third quarter of 2023 to just three in quarter three 2024.

Nationally, according to CSO there were 5,293 new houses granted planning permission in the third quarter of 2024 – this was up by 9% or 434 additional planning permissions granted.

The Western region (Border and West), which included Galway, accounted for 17.4% (922 houses).

Dublin had the highest proportion of new apartments approved with 39% (1,293) of all apartments granted planning permission in the state. The Western region (Border and West) accounted for the just 5% (168 apartments).

Shane O’Sullivan, Statistician in the Enterprise Statistics Division of CSO, said the number of units granted planning permission in June, July and August of 2024 was 8,611, of which, 5,293 were for houses and 3,318 were for apartments.

“Planning permission was granted for 1,293 apartments in Dublin in 2024, accounting for almost two-fifths (39%) of all apartments granted planning approval in the state,” he said.

“There were 2,117 dwelling units approved in Dublin (1,293 apartments and 824 houses), which made up almost a quarter (24.6%) of all dwelling units granted planning permission in quarter three of 2024.

“During the same period, the West (Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon) recorded the lowest number of apartment units (74) granted planning permission,” Mr O’Sullivan added.

Pictured: Shane O’Sullivan…planning figures.