Former Mercy Secondary school Dublin Rd , Killbeggan , Co Westmeath

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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.
• Crèche and childcare planning applications in Dublin — half arrive inside housing schemes369 applications mentioning a crèche, childcare facility, Montessori or pre-school reached the Greater Dublin registers in 36 months, 234 granted and 34 refused. 196 of them are a crèche inside a housing scheme, required by the 2001 childcare guidelines at one facility of about 20 places per 75 homes; 173 are standalone, and 52 of those are a change of use of a shop, house or office. Where they are granted, why the standalone ones are refused, and every recent file linked.
• Further information requests on a planning application — 21% of Dublin files, six months to reply21% of applications received by Dublin councils in the year to September 2026 drew a further information request. What the council is asking, the six-month deadline, what "significant" FI triggers, and what it does to neighbours' rights.
• How to object to a planning application in Ireland — five weeks, €20, and 348 open windows today348 Dublin-area applications are inside their five-week observation window as this page was built. Anyone can make a submission for €20. Since the 2024 Act it is also the ticket to an appeal and, for most people, to judicial review.