Brook Lodge, Riverstown, Kilmessan Co. Meath

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• Retention planning permission in Ireland — refused 27% of the time, against 7% for extensionsOne in six Dublin applications is for retention, and 27% of retention decisions in the two years to September 2026 were refusals. When you need it, the treble fee, the seven-year rule and the sale-time problem.
• Porch and garage conversion planning permission — 99% of garage conversions grantedDublin councils granted 87 of 88 garage-conversion applications and 95% of porch applications in the 12 months to September 2026. The 2 m² porch limit, the parking condition, and when neither needs an application.
• 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.