Planning permission

What do I need planning permission for?

• Planning permission is required for any development that is not classed as exempt. For example, you would need planning permission for:
  Building a house
• Building a large extension or making significant changes to your house 
• Significantly changing how you use your property (for example, opening a business or service)
• Building a large commercial or housing development 
• Demolition may need planning permission in some instances
• Renting out your property for short-term lets may need planning permission

There are some types of development that do not require planning permission. These are known as ‘exempted development’ and are set out in legislation and regulations.

It is important to check with your local authority before you start any building work to find out whether planning permission is required. 

If planning permission is needed, you cannot start building until planning permission has been granted. If you begin the work before securing planning permission you may face significant penalties.

Types of planning permission

There are two main types of planning permission:

• Permission
• Outline permission

Permission

Permission, or Full Permission, is the most common type of planning permission. If your application is approved and you receive permission, it will last for five years. However, there may be conditions to the approval, which might require some changes to your proposals. 

Outline permission

Outline permission involves asking the local authority if they agree in principle to a house or large extension being built. In this application, you will provide information on the site you plan to build or extend on, the layout of the development, and any other relevant information. If you receive outline permission, it will last for three years. 

When you are ready to build, you must submit detailed drawings and proposals to be approved before starting any building work. If these are approved, you will be granted ‘permission consequent to the grant of outline permission’. This means you have planning permission based on your outline permission approval.

How to apply for planning permission

There are a number of steps that must be followed when applying for planning permission. 

In most cases you need to lodge your application for planning permission with the local authority in the area where you plan to build. However if it’s a very large or complex development, such as strategic infrastructure development, the application may need to be lodged with An Bord Pleanála.

If you are unsure about your application or the planning rules, you can contact the planning section of your local authority in advance of applying with any questions you may have. You can also ask to have a pre-planning consultation meeting. During this meeting you can get advice and guidance from planners about how to apply, whether your proposals are likely to comply with the development plan, what other documents you will need, what the fee will be, and any other requirements. 

Before you apply

Before you apply for planning permission, you need to give public notice of your proposal to build or extend. 

To do this you must put up a site notice that can be clearly seen and read by members of the public. The site notice must remain in place for five weeks after your planning application has been received by the local authority, not including 24 December - 1 January.

If it's a significant application you may need to place a notice in a local newspaper. The local authority can advise you which newspapers are acceptable.

You must submit your planning application within two weeks of putting your site notice and placing your notice in the newspaper. 

Details on what information to include in your notices can be found in the planning application form you receive from the local authority.

Submitting a planning application

To apply for planning permission, you must fill out a planning permission form, provide all required information and submit the appropriate fee. 

The form will list out all the documents that need to accompany your application. The documents include:

• A site location map 
• Plans and drawings 
• Details of the site notice and newspaper notice

Depending on the type and scale of the proposed development, you may also need to provide a range of other documents, such as a transport assessment or an environmental assessment.

The fee to apply for planning permission depends on the type of development. A full list of fees can be provided by the planning section of your local authority.

Applying online

Many local authorities now allow you to apply for planning permission online on the Planning.LocalGov.ie website. This facility will eventually be being rolled out to every local authority in Ireland. To check if it's already offered by your local authority see the 'about' page on Planning.LocalGov.ie.

Planning applications for Large Scale Residential Developments (LRD)

There are particular requirements and timelines for planning applications for Large Scale Residential Developments (LRDs). 

LRDs are developments of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation developments comprising 200 bed spaces or more, or a combination of same.

Those submitting proposed developments meeting the definition of Large-scale Residential Development are required to engage in pre-planning consultation and the local authority will give an opinion on whether the proposal outlined constitutes a reasonable basis for a planning application before a planning application is submitted. 

Decisions on a planning application

When the planning application is received, the application will be examined to ensure everything is correct and in order, valid or invalid. If it is found to be invalid, the application will be returned. 

Anyone can see a copy of your application and can make a submission or observation on it up to five weeks from the date of receipt of the application. 

After this five-week period, local authority planners will begin to assess the application and write a report where a recommendation is made. 

In writing their report, planners assess the application against a number of criteria. These include land use zoning, the design of the proposed development and its impacts on transport and the environment. They consider submissions received through public consultation, and if necessary they consult with other departments in the local authority and with outside bodies such as the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Uisce Éireann. 

Your application and this report then go to the appropriate levels for approval and signing where the decision is made. 

Generally, the local planning authority must make a decision on a planning application within 8 weeks of receiving the application, but it may take longer if the local authority needs more information.

In some cases, the planning authority may request further information before issuing a decision. In this case, the applicant has 6 months to respond to this request for further information. 

Once a decision has been made, it will be notified to you. 

The decision will either:

Grant permission 

If the application is approved, you will receive notice of intention to grant planning permission.

Anyone who objects to the planning permission has four weeks to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála. If nobody appeals the decision within that timeframe, you will be granted planning permission. Permission normally remains valid for five years, unless an alternative timescale is granted by the planners. Outline permission remains valid for three years.

Grant permission with conditions 

It is possible that the application may be approved only under certain conditions, which could mean making changes to your plans. If you are not happy with these conditions, you have four weeks to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála. Permission will remain valid for five years, and outline permission will remain valid for three years.

Refuse permission 

If the application is refused, the local authority will outline why. You have four weeks from the date of the decision to appeal to An Bord Pleanála. 

Appealing a planning decision 

If you are not happy with the local authority’s decision on a planning application, you can appeal to An Bord Pleanala within 4 weeks of the decision date. 

Those who made a submission on the original application can appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanala within 4 weeks. 

Any person who has an interest in land adjoining land in respect of which a decision to grant permission has been made, can also apply to An Bord Pleanála for leave to appeal against the decision.

The role of An Bord Pleanála

An Bord Pleanála is the national planning appeals board. It is an independent body which was set up by the Government to operate an open and impartial planning appeal system. Anyone applying for planning permission, and anyone who made written submissions or observations to the planning authority on a planning application, can appeal a subsequent decision to An Bord Pleanála. Planning applications for strategic infrastructure development are also assessed by An Bord Pleanála.

Responding to a planning application as a member of the public

Consultation is an important part of the planning process. 

All planning applications are available for the public to view. You can view applications at your local authority offices or online via your local authority website or by visiting Planning.LocalGov.ie.

After a planning application has been submitted, anyone can make a written submission or observation. You can either object to the proposal or make a case in support of the proposal. It costs €20 to make a submission. 

If you want to share your views on a planning application in your area, you can do so by paying the €20 fee and making the submission in writing to the local authority within five weeks from the date the local authority received the application. After a decision has been made on the application, the local authority must inform you within three days. 

If the planning permission has been approved but you still object to the building work being carried out, you can make an appeal to An Bord Pleanála.

Building without planning permission

Good planning decisions are key to our quality of life. Planning enforcement ensures that development is carried out in accordance with the planning permission that was granted. It addresses issues where people do not comply with planning law.

If you complete building works without planning permission, this is considered an unauthorised development.

It is an offence to do building work that requires planning permission without going through the planning process and having the planning application approved. This will be referred to the planning enforcement section and can result in substantial penalties. 

However, where a genuine mistake has been made, it is possible to apply for planning permission to retain the unauthorised development. If this is approved, you can keep the development. If it is refused, the unauthorised development must be demolished. 

A planning authority must take legal action within seven years of the breach of planning law taking place. If more than seven years has passed, the planning authority can no longer take legal action, but the development will remain unauthorised, and this could have implications for the future sale of the property or compliance with other laws. 

Planning enforcement

The role of the enforcement section of the planning department is to ensure that anyone carrying out building work is complying with the planning code. If they find that someone has not followed the planning procedure and has carried out unauthorised development, they can take out enforcement proceedings.

 The local authority can also serve notice on property owners where a property is dangerous, requesting them to carry out remedial action to make the property safe.

Planning for local authority developments

Local authorities must go through a planning process for their own developments. This is called a ‘Part 8’ process and allows for public consultation on the local authority’s plans. You can find out more about it on our page about planning for our cities and counties.