Neighbourhoods · the four Dublin councils · last 24 months · 322 electoral divisions

Where permission is hardest to get — Dublin neighbourhoods

Every neighbourhood ranked: applications, extensions, retention and refusals.

Data updated 14 Nov 2026 · register lag up to 7 days · sources & freshness

applications per 1,000 homes

41%

household works

15%

for work already done

14%

refused

20%

asked for more details

Busiest Extending Built first Refusals Slowest Further info Appeals Building 12 months 24 months

All Dublin Dublin City Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Fingal South Dublin

Where permission is hardest to get 208 ranked

Share of decisions in the window that were refusals (grant or refuse only; invalid and withdrawn left out).

#	Neighbourhood	refused	Decided	Households	Retention	Refused	Median days
1	Garristown · Fingal	64%	39	529	20%	64%	54
2	Balscadden · Fingal	48%	23	229	30%	48%	55
3	Clonmethan · Fingal	48%	21	282	24%	48%	55
4	Ballyboghil · Fingal	44%	36	473	34%	44%	55
5	Balbriggan Rural · Fingal	42%	69	6,127	18%	42%	55
6	Holmpatrick · Fingal	42%	80	1,390	17%	42%	61
7	Lusk · Fingal	41%	90	3,341	22%	41%	55
8	Rush · Fingal	40%	103	3,551	16%	40%	55
9	Hollywood · Fingal	37%	27	486	20%	37%	62
10	Rathmines West A · Dublin City	36%	25	3,049	29%	36%	55
11	Saggart · South Dublin	35%	43	1,791	27%	35%	56
12	Turnapin · Fingal	32%	22	569	33%	32%	52
13	Shankill-Rathmichael · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	31%	70	2,030	7%	31%	53
14	Blackrock-Seapoint · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	29%	35	555	13%	29%	50
15	Skerries · Fingal	28%	108	3,096	15%	28%	55
16	Rathcoole · South Dublin	28%	46	2,172	22%	28%	58
17	Swords-Seatown · Fingal	28%	25	2,480	22%	28%	52
18	Foxrock-Torquay · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	27%	30	561	13%	27%	54
19	Balgriffin · Fingal	26%	39	1,238	10%	26%	55
20	Royal Exchange A · Dublin City	25%	51	1,679	27%	25%	58
21	Donabate · Fingal	24%	99	3,900	31%	24%	55
22	Clonskeagh-Farranboley · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	24%	29	728	11%	24%	52
23	Ballybrack · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	24%	21	989	17%	24%	51
24	Pembroke East B · Dublin City	22%	46	1,455	9%	22%	55
25	Saint Kevin's · Dublin City	22%	55	1,986	19%	22%	55
26	Howth · Fingal	21%	166	3,126	18%	21%	55
27	Rathmines East A · Dublin City	21%	56	2,227	10%	21%	55
28	Swords-Lissenhall · Fingal	21%	72	3,928	27%	21%	54
29	Cabinteely-Loughlinstown · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	21%	70	1,993	16%	21%	55
30	Bohernabreena · South Dublin	21%	33	1,740	19%	21%	55
31	Ballinteer-Ludford · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	21%	29	786	16%	21%	53
32	Kinsaley · Fingal	20%	81	3,746	21%	20%	54
33	Stillorgan-Deerpark · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	20%	79	1,001	5%	20%	52
34	Blackrock-Central · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	20%	75	1,368	10%	20%	51
35	Kilmainham C · Dublin City	20%	30	2,085	27%	20%	55
36	Foxrock-Deansgrange · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	20%	40	848	13%	20%	51
37	Blackrock-Williamstown · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	20%	46	1,060	12%	20%	52
38	Tallaght-Kilnamanagh · South Dublin	20%	41	1,552	34%	20%	55
39	Merchants Quay F · Dublin City	20%	25	956	20%	20%	55
40	Beaumont A · Dublin City	20%	20	1,012	12%	20%	55

Every council 31

#	Council	refused	Applications	Retention	Refused	Median days
1	Fingal	22%	3,439	20%	22%	54
2	Kildare	20%	3,283	24%	20%	62
3	Wexford	16%	2,814	27%	16%	54
4	Louth	15%	2,077	29%	15%	52
5	Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown	14%	3,915	11%	14%	52
6	Wicklow	14%	2,776	20%	14%	54
7	Galway City	14%	701	27%	14%	55
8	Longford	14%	605	20%	14%	51
9	Galway County	13%	3,883	24%	13%	55
10	Meath	13%	3,493	21%	13%	55
11	Westmeath	13%	1,399	21%	13%	58
12	Roscommon	13%	1,365	22%	13%	98
13	Kerry	12%	2,685	29%	12%	63
14	South Dublin	12%	2,246	15%	12%	55
15	Waterford	11%	2,255	20%	11%	56
16	Dublin City	10%	6,008	15%	10%	55
17	Limerick	10%	2,848	20%	10%	60
18	Carlow	10%	929	17%	10%	84
19	Offaly	9%	1,621	22%	9%	79
20	Cork County	8%	6,830	21%	8%	69
21	Cork City	8%	1,193	19%	8%	57
22	Donegal	7%	5,096	24%	7%	50
23	Mayo	7%	2,780	18%	7%	59
24	Laois	7%	1,969	23%	7%	55
25	Kilkenny	7%	1,902	22%	7%	63
26	Monaghan	7%	1,336	19%	7%	99
27	Sligo	7%	1,122	25%	7%	52
28	Clare	6%	2,401	20%	6%	55
29	Cavan	5%	1,612	23%	5%	58
30	Tipperary	4%	3,077	30%	4%	56
31	Leitrim	4%	505	28%	4%	54

How it is counted

A neighbourhood is a CSO electoral division; its households and population are the 2022 census totals of the small areas inside it. Every application, appeal and building-start notice is counted in the division where it is on the map.
Household works are applications whose description says extension, attic, dormer, porch, garden room, garage conversion and the like, and does not say apartments, units, commercial, retail or office.
Work already done (retention) is an application to keep something that was built without permission: its type or description says retention. Its grant rate is shown where at least ten were decided.
Decisions count grants and refusals only; invalid, withdrawn and undecided applications are left out of every rate. Days are from the council’s receipt date to its decision date.
A rate is printed only where the neighbourhood has at least 20 of the thing being rated in the window; smaller ones show counts and are not ranked.
Councils have no per-household figures outside Dublin: the census spine is loaded for the Dublin region only.

Sources: National Planning Application Database (NPAD), CSO Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics, An Coimisiún Pleanála case list, Building Control Management System commencement notices · fetched 14 Nov 2026, 02:46

Source	Licence	Fetched	Link
National Planning Application Database (NPAD)	CC BY 4.0	14 Nov 2026, 02:46	open
CSO Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics	CC BY 4.0	14 Nov 2026, 02:46	open
An Coimisiún Pleanála case list	CC BY 4.0	14 Nov 2026, 02:46	open
Building Control Management System commencement notices	CC BY 4.0	14 Nov 2026, 02:46	open

Recomputed weekly from the store; last built 14 Nov 2026.

Homes permitted, not started · Grant rates by council · Sources & freshness