Finnstown House, Lucan, Co. Dublin

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• 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.
• An Bord Pleanála appeal, now An Coimisiún Pleanála — four weeks, €220, and a 25% reversal rateThe Commission reversed the council in 25% of the 1,195 Dublin-area appeals decided in the two years to September 2026. Who can appeal, the four weeks, the €220 fee, why 240 appeals a year fail on procedure, and the odds by direction.
• The most refused planning application types in Dublin — retention first, apartments second, extensions lastRetention applications were refused 27% of the time across the Greater Dublin councils in 12 months (140 of 510 decided), apartments 20%, new houses 15% and extensions 7%. The refusal share by development type, why the mix matters more than the council, and what the register says about where each type fails.
• Appeals overturned by council — how often An Coimisiún Pleanála reverses each Dublin council, and in which directionThe Commission reversed the council on 301 of 1,195 Dublin appeals decided in 24 months, 25%. South Dublin was reversed most (30%), Dublin City least (23%), and 76 of Fingal's 85 reversals turned a refusal into a grant. How the appeal works, what a reversal rate means, and how to read your council's number before you appeal.