Mainstreet Mounthrath, Portlaoise, Co Laois

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• Change of use planning permission in Ireland — 84% granted, short-term letting 2 in 6Dublin councils granted 455 of the 544 change-of-use applications they decided in the 12 months to September 2026. What a material change of use is, which changes are exempt under Part 4, and why short-term letting is refused more than any other.
• Protected structures and architectural conservation areas — what needs permission, the free section 57 declaration, and what the register shows368 applications naming a protected structure were decided across the Greater Dublin councils in 12 months and 88% were granted. What being on the Record of Protected Structures means, what an ACA takes away from the ordinary exemptions, how to get a section 57 declaration, and what buyers should check.
• Planning application fees and costs in Ireland — €34 for an extension, €65 for a house, treble for retentionThe council fee is the smallest cost of a planning application. Schedule 9 fees for a house, an extension, retention and commercial floor space; the €20 observation, the €220 appeal, development contributions and what the drawings and notices cost.
• Site notice planning rules — 22% of Dublin applications invalid, and the notice is the top cause2,539 of the 11,409 applications received by Dublin councils in the year to September 2026 were declared invalid; in South Dublin nearly half were for the site notice. What it must say, where it goes, when it turns yellow.