PlanningRegister.ie
Planning report · Donegal County Council · 500 m around the house · the last 12 months · 1 Nov 2026, 01:07

Ballymacool

54.94635, -7.76478

Homes here mostly date from the 2000s. 1 planning file on this house, the latest from 2026. 49 homes approved 314 m away haven't started.

See on the mapWatch this area

Not held yet for Donegal County Council: zoning and council consultations.

How planning works, with this area's numbers

steps can overlap · medians for home extensions within 1.5 km, 10 years
  1. 1ApplySite notice up, plans online
  2. 2Comments5 weeks, €20. Comment to keep your right to appeal
  3. 3Decision8 weeks by law. Here 46 days
  4. 4Appeal window4 weeks after the decision
  5. 5AppealAt An Coimisiún Pleanála
  6. 6PermissionLasts 5 years
  7. 7StartStart notice to the council
  8. 8Sign-offCompletion cert, or the owner opts out
Question 1

What's the planning story of this house?

Figure 1

When it was built, and the rules since

Most homes here were built 2001–10, under planning permission and building regulations. 1 planning file on this house, the latest from 2026.

Timeline from 1955: planning permission needed from October 1964, building regulations from June 1992, building records online from March 2014, sign-off opt-out from September 2015. Most homes here were built 2001–2010. 1 planning file on this house.1960197019801990200020102020Oct 1964permission neededJun 1992building regulationsMar 2014building records onlineSep 2015owners may opt out of sign-offThis houseAll of BallymacoolBuilt: most homes in this small area date from 2001–2010 (census estimate)most built2026: 2661212 · new house, approved2021: 1 file on Ballymacool2022: 2 files on Ballymacool2023: 1 file on Ballymacool2024: 1 file on Ballymacool2025: 2 files on Ballymacool2026: 2 files on Ballymacool9 files

Each line is a rule that applies to work done after it.

MeasuredEstimatecouncil register via NPAD · build years: CSO Census 2022, small area

  1. 2026
    2661212 · new house · approved 2026 · work already done
    approvedstartedsigned off?
On this site
No
Protected or listed · on the council's list
Yes
Vacant land tax · 3% of land value a year
Zoning, protection, tax and flood: the detail

No zoning in the plans we hold.

Monument zone1 within 100 m Souterrain, Ballymacool

Not on this site: protected building, heritage inventory, conservation area, EU nature site, EU bird site, natural heritage area, tree order, landslide risk, derelict list.

Vacant land taxYes 3% of the land's value a year
Flood riskNone mapped within 500 m
Within 500 mCountFor example
Heritage inventory buildings1Ballymacool House
Monuments6Souterrain; Designed landscape feature
How we work this out
'On this site' means the record's own map outline touches the registered parcel (or a 12 m circle round the point where there is no parcel). Only the council's own list confirms a protected building; ask the council if in doubt. This land is on the council's final map for the vacant land tax. Unless it is a home someone lives in (or its garden), the owner pays 3% of the land's value a year until homes are built or the zoning changes. The OPW flood map's licence lets us show a yes/no only. Land on the vacant land tax map nearby: 19 on the draft 2027 map; 19 on the final 2026 map.
Sources: Development plan zoning (councils), Sites and Monuments Record, Residential Zoned Land Tax maps, Constraint layers (bundle), National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · fetched 25 Oct 2026, 23:43
SourceLicenceFetchedLink
Development plan zoning (councils)CC BY 4.025 Oct 2026, 23:06open
Sites and Monuments RecordCC BY 4.027 Sept 2026, 19:29open
Residential Zoned Land Tax mapsCC BY 4.025 Oct 2026, 23:43open
Constraint layers (bundle)CC BY 4.0, CC BY-NC-ND 4.027 Sept 2026, 19:37open
National Inventory of Architectural HeritageCC BY 4.027 Sept 2026, 19:35open
How we work this out
Applications whose site outline (or map point) falls on this property. 'No sign building has started' means we found no notice to the council's building control office; small jobs don't always file one, so ask. A missing completion certificate is not proof of a problem: an owner can opt out of official sign-off for a house or extension built for themselves.
Sources: Building Control Management System (commencement notices), National Planning Application Database · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 23:00
SourceLicenceFetchedLink
Building Control Management System (commencement notices)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 02:56open
National Planning Application DatabaseCC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 23:00open
Question 2

Could you extend?

Nothing on this site restricts it: not protected, not in a conservation area.

Figure 2

What happened to applications like yours

A new house in a garden is harder: 85% approved, and 1 in 3 is asked for more information.

New house in a garden or site26 decided · more info asked 38%
85% · council 92%
Approved nearbyDonegal overall

Decided applications within 1.5 km, received in the last 10 years. The kind of work is read from each description.

CalculatedOur classificationcouncil register via NPAD · 26 nearby, 3,872 council-wide

Figure 3

Ballymacool, file by file since 2021

1 of 1 decided extensions on the road were approved. New houses in side gardens or on sites: 1 of 1.

9 planning files on Ballymacool since 2021, by kind and decision.202120222023202420252026Extensions, atticsNo number · 2022 · other extension · approved · 2250460Porches, roofs, otherNo number · 2021 · other work · approved · 2150124No number · 2022 · other work · approved · 2250677No number · 2023 · other work · approved · 2351376No number · 2024 · other work · approved · 2450022No number · 2025 · other work · approved · 2560855No. 88 · 2026 · other work · approved · 2661212No number · 2026 · other work · refused · 2661373New house in a side gardenNo number · 2025 · new house · approved · 2560173
ApprovedRefusedWithdrawn or invalid

9 files with "Ballymacool" in the address within 600 m, other roads of the same name left out. Hover a dot for the house number and reference.

MeasuredOur classificationcouncil register via NPAD · 2021–2026

Extensions and refusals right beside you 0 within 250 m · 0 refused within 100 m

Extensions and refusals near you 0 extensions within 250 m · the last 12 months

No home extensions within 250 m in the last 12 months.

Refused within 100 m 0 in the last 12 months

Nothing refused this close in the last 12 months.

    How we work this out
    Home extensions are read from the application's description (extension, attic or dormer, porch, garage conversion, garden room), so a few may be missed or mislabelled. The kind is the first that fits: a dormer with a rear extension counts as a dormer. Refusal reasons come from An Coimisiún Pleanála's inspector reports, so they exist only where the refusal was appealed (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown so far). The council's own reasons are on its planning file.
    Sources: National Planning Application Database, An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed) · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 23:00
    SourceLicenceFetchedLink
    National Planning Application DatabaseCC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 23:00open
    An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed)CC BY 4.030 Oct 2026, 23:01open
    Sources: An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed), Building Control Management System (commencement notices), National Planning Application Database · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 23:00
    SourceLicenceFetchedLink
    An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed)CC BY 4.030 Oct 2026, 23:01open
    Building Control Management System (commencement notices)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 02:56open
    National Planning Application DatabaseCC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 23:00open
    Question 3

    How long, and what if someone objects?

    Figure 4

    A home extension's journey here

    A decision takes 46 days.

    Comments open: 5 weeks · €20; Council decision: 46 days; Appeal window: 4 weeks0 mo3 mo6 mo9 mo12 moComments openComments close 5 weeks after the application is lodged5 weeks · €20Council decisionDecision: median 46 days, middle half 43–52 (n=18)46 daysAppeal windowAnyone who commented can appeal within 4 weeks of the decision4 weeksSigned off100% of owners opt out of sign-off

    Bars are medians; whiskers show the middle half. Medians of separate steps don't add up exactly.

    Calculated20 decided home extensions, 4 start notices · within 1.5 km, 10 years · NPAD, BCMS, An Coimisiún Pleanála

    Figure 5

    What appeals changed

    0 of 2 appealed approvals were reversed.

    Approvals appealed2 decided
    0 reversed
    Ended approvedEnded refusedWithdrawn, invalid or other

    Every appeal decided within 1.5 km in 10 years, any kind of development.

    CalculatedAn Coimisiún Pleanála cases linked to the council file

    Question 4

    What's changing around you?

    Street map around Ballymacool with 9 numbered planning items
    ⌖ the houseOpen for commentsApproved, not startedEmpty land zoned for homesApproved
    1. 1BALLYMACOOL RESPITE HOUSE, BALLYMACOOL 2661944No decision yet · 433 m
    2. 2BALLYMACOOL 2351376Approved, no sign building has started · 314 m
    3. 31.0 ha zoned for homesEmpty land zoned for homes · 21 m
    4. 41.2 ha zoned for homesEmpty land zoned for homes · 57 m
    5. 50.5 ha zoned for homesEmpty land zoned for homes · 142 m
    6. 65.3 ha zoned for homesEmpty land zoned for homes · 142 m
    7. 70.3 ha zoned for homesEmpty land zoned for homes · 158 m
    8. 80.2 ha zoned for homesEmpty land zoned for homes · 164 m
    9. 988 THE GARDEN, BALLYMACOOL 2661212Approved with conditions · 0 m
    Figure 6

    What happens to applications within 500 m

    Permission isn't building. Of 10 permissions since 2016, 2 show a start notice and 0 have a completion certificate.

    11 applications lodged within 500 m. Council: 10 approved, 1 refused. After appeals: 10 approved. Of those: 0 signed off, 1 built with the owner's opt-out, 1 started, 6 with no start notice found, 2 ran out.LODGEDCOUNCIL DECISIONAFTER APPEALSWHAT HAPPENED NEXT10: lodged → approved1: lodged → refused10: approved → approved1: refused → refused6: approved → no start notice found1: approved → built, owner opted out1: approved → started, not signed off2: approved → ran out11 lodged11 lodged10 approved10 approved1 refused1 refused10 approved10 approved1 refused1 refused6 no start notice found6 no start notice found1 built, owner opted out1 built, owner opted out1 started, not signed off1 started, not signed off2 ran out2 ran out

    Purple bands are refusals turned into permissions on appeal. "No start notice found" includes small jobs that never needed one and notices we couldn't match.

    Measured11 applications in 10 years · NPAD, An Coimisiún Pleanála, BCMS start notices and completion certificates

    Figure 7

    The next 30 days

    1 deadline within 500 m; the first closes 24 Nov 2026.

    1 deadlines in the next 30 days: 2026-11-24 2661944: application received — CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO EXISTING RESPITE HOUSE, PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL CAR PARKING SPACES AND ALL AStoday6 Nov11 Nov16 Nov21 Nov26 Nov1 Dec2661944: application received — CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO EXISTING RESPITE HOUSE, PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL CAR PARKING SPACES AND ALL AS · 433 m away · 2026-11-24
    Comments close
    • Comments close 24 Nov 202623 days left
      12661944 · application received — CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO EXISTING RESPITE HOUSE, PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL CAR…
      €20 to the council · 433 m away

    Measuredcouncil registers and An Coimisiún Pleanála · deadlines worked out from the dates on file

    Figure 8

    Approved, stalled or planned, not built yet

    49 homes 314 m away were approved Sept 2024 with no start notice yet; the permission runs to Sept 2029.

    BALLYMACOOL · 49 homes: 49 homes approved Sep 2024, not started2024202520262027202820292030BALLYMACOOL · 49 homes314 m · 235137649 homes approved Sep 2024, not started49 homes approved Sep 2024, not startedtoday

    Each row is a dated fact from a public register: no score and no forecast.

    Measuredcouncil registers, BCMS, derelict sites registers, development plan layers (CC BY 4.0)

    Sites that could change 11 within 500 m

    Approved, not started 1

    • BALLYMACOOL · 49 homes approved Sep 2024, not started · 314 m

    Empty land zoned for homes 10

    • 31.0 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 21 m
    • 41.2 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 57 m
    • 50.5 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 142 m
    • 65.3 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 142 m
    • 70.3 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 158 m
    • 80.2 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 164 m
    • 0.2 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 172 m
    • 2.4 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 189 m
    • 0.9 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 196 m
    • 1.5 ha zoned for homes · no homes built on it yet · 0 m

    Not covered here: council land to be sold (Dublin only).

    Sources: An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed), Building Control Management System (commencement notices), Derelict sites registers, National Planning Application Database, Residential Zoned Land Tax maps · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 23:00
    SourceLicenceFetchedLink
    An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed)CC BY 4.030 Oct 2026, 23:01open
    Building Control Management System (commencement notices)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 02:56open
    Derelict sites registersCC BY 4.026 Oct 2026, 23:09open
    National Planning Application DatabaseCC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 23:00open
    Residential Zoned Land Tax mapsCC BY 4.025 Oct 2026, 23:43open
    Figure 9

    Applications within 500 m, by year

    Between 1 and 3 a year; busiest 2025. 91% of decisions were approvals.

    2021: 2, 2022: 2, 2023: 1, 2024: 1, 2025: 3, 2026: 205102021: 2 approved2’21*2022: 2 approved2’222023: 1 approved1’232024: 1 approved1’242025: 3 approved3’252026: 1 approved2026: 1 refused2’26*
    ApprovedRefusedWithdrawn or invalidUndecided

    2021 and 2026 are part years (*). Exemption requests and time extensions are left out.

    Measuredcouncil register via NPAD

    Open for comments €20 to comment

    Every application within 500 m 3 in the last 12 months

    See every application on the map

    How we work this out
    Descriptions are shortened by the national planning database (to 80 characters in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, 70 in Fingal), and it does not publish applicants' names.
    Sources: National Planning Application Database, An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed), Building Control Management System (commencement notices) · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 23:00
    SourceLicenceFetchedLink
    National Planning Application DatabaseCC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 23:00open
    An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed)CC BY 4.030 Oct 2026, 23:01open
    Building Control Management System (commencement notices)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 02:56open
    Building work nearby 2 in the last 12 months
    2 no sign-off needed
    • Ballymacool, Letterkenny, Donegal · 23 Mar 2026 · 1 homes · start notice, opted out no sign-off needed · 25/60173 · 437 m
    • Ballymacool, Letterkenny, Donegal · 23 Mar 2026 · short notice no sign-off needed · 25/60173 · 433 m
    How we work this out
    Each row is a notice the builder sent to the council's building control office before work started. One notice can cover many homes. 'Signed off as finished' means a completion certificate is on file; work done under an opt-out or a short notice doesn't need one.
    Source: Building Control Management System (commencement notices) · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 02:56
    SourceLicenceFetchedLink
    Building Control Management System (commencement notices)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 02:56open
    Homes coming 49 not started
    • 2BALLYMACOOL · 49 homes · not started · runs out 17 Sept 2029 · 314 m
    How we work this out
    Schemes of 10 or more homes approved since 2021, from the council and An Coimisiún Pleanála registers. 'Building started' means the builder told the council's building control office that work was starting (a commencement notice).
    Sources: An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed), Building Control Management System (commencement notices), National Planning Application Database, Social housing construction status report · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 23:00
    SourceLicenceFetchedLink
    An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed)CC BY 4.030 Oct 2026, 23:01open
    Building Control Management System (commencement notices)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 02:56open
    National Planning Application DatabaseCC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 23:00open
    Social housing construction status reportCC BY-SA 4.023 Oct 2026, 23:02open
    How busy is this area About as busy as most of Donegal County Council.
    Homes approved
    Here49
    Council middle0
    Homes started
    Here4
    Council middle2
    How we work this out
    Homes approved counts schemes of 10 or more homes (one-off houses are not included). Homes started counts every home in a notice that building work was starting. The council figure is the middle value across the council's built-up squares of the same area (3.1 km², about a 1 km circle), so half of them saw more and half fewer.
    Sources: An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed), Building Control Management System (commencement notices), National Planning Application Database · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 23:00
    SourceLicenceFetchedLink
    An Coimisiún Pleanála cases (ArcGIS feed)CC BY 4.030 Oct 2026, 23:01open
    Building Control Management System (commencement notices)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 02:56open
    National Planning Application DatabaseCC BY 4.031 Oct 2026, 23:00open
    Question 5

    What's the area like?

    Figure 10

    This street block against the council

    0% of homes built before 1971 (council 21%). 19% owner-occupied (council 70%).

    Homes built before 1971
    0% · council 21%
    Homes built since 2001
    80% · council 36%
    Owner-occupied
    19% · council 70%
    Rented
    81% · council 23%
    Children under 15
    29% · council 20%
    Aged 65 and over
    3% · council 18%
    Households with 2+ cars
    21% · council 42%
    Work mainly from home
    9% · council 11%
    This small area (240 people)Donegal

    MeasuredCSO Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics (CC BY 4.0) · small area 057011009

    Schools, stops and the council

    Schools

    None nearby.

      Stops 0

        Sources: Public transport stops and routes (NTA GTFS), Department of Education school list, Council consultation portals, Council meetings (ModernGov), Land Development Agency public land register, cso_saps_2022, National Transport Authority, Fingal County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council development plan layers (CC BY 4.0), dartplus.ie project extents over NTA GTFS rail shapes (CC BY 4.0), EPA strategic noise maps, Fingal County Council · fetched 31 Oct 2026, 02:21
        SourceLicenceFetchedLink
        Public transport stops and routes (NTA GTFS)CC BY 4.025 Oct 2026, 23:02open
        Department of Education school listCC BY 4.027 Oct 2026, 23:04open
        Council consultation portalsPublic31 Oct 2026, 01:06open
        Council meetings (ModernGov)Public31 Oct 2026, 02:21open
        Land Development Agency public land registerCC BY 4.011 Sept 2026, 16:43open
        cso_saps_2022CC BY 4.0—open
        National Transport AuthorityCC BY 4.0——
        Fingal County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council development plan layers (CC BY 4.0)CC BY 4.0——
        dartplus.ie project extents over NTA GTFS rail shapes (CC BY 4.0)CC BY 4.0——
        EPA strategic noise mapsCC BY 4.0——
        Fingal County CouncilCC BY 4.0——
        Question 6

        What to ask, and who

        1. New house (2661212): work kept with permission. Done as approved?
          Ask for: The retention grant and an opinion of compliance.
          Seller · solicitor
        2. On the vacant land tax map: is the 3% tax being paid?
          Ask for: Your solicitor's check of liability or exemption.
          Solicitor
        3. Application 433 m away open for comments until 24 Nov 2026: comment?
          Ask for: The plans on the council's website (€20 to comment).
          Council
        4. Any work done without planning permission?
          Ask for: An opinion of compliance for the whole house.
          Seller · solicitor
        Reference

        Where this is, the terms, the sources

        Townland
        Ballymacool
        Electoral division
        Ballymacool
        Electoral area
        Letterkenny
        Council
        Donegal County Council
        Everything we found, as a list 8 lines
        • 1 application on this site; latest 2661212, approved 2026, work already done.
        • Not protected; on the vacant land tax map.
        • 11 sites nearby could change: 1 approved scheme, 10 empty zoned plots.
        • 1 application open for comments nearby; nearest closes 24 Nov 2026.
        • 49 homes approved nearby, not started; largest 49 at BALLYMACOOL.
        • No scheduled public transport within 800 m.
        • Here (2022 census): 81% rent (council 23%); 15% of homes empty (council 26%); most built 2001–2010; 74% drive to work (council 63%); population up 18% since 2016.
        • Around here the council decides in a median 51 days (about 7 weeks); 1 in 3 is asked for more information.
        What the terms mean 7 terms
        • Vacant land tax (Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT)): A yearly tax of 3% of the land's value on land that is zoned for homes and serviced but left unbuilt.
        • Building started (Commencement notice (BCMS)): The builder must tell the council's building control office 14 to 28 days before work starts.
        • Signed off as finished (Certificate of Compliance on Completion): A certificate filed when a building is finished, confirming it meets the building regulations.
        • Approved (Grant of permission): The council said yes, usually with conditions.
        • Comment on an application (Observation / submission): Anyone can comment on a planning application within five weeks of it being lodged, for a €20 fee.
        • Permission for work already done (Retention permission): An application to keep something that was built without permission.
        • What the land is zoned for (Zoning objective): The council's development plan sets what each area is for: homes, shops, open space and so on.
        Sources and licences 25
        SourcePublisherLicenceFetched
        EPA strategic noise maps—CC BY 4.0—
        Fingal County Council—CC BY 4.0—
        Fingal County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council development plan layers (CC BY 4.0)—CC BY 4.0—
        National Transport Authority—CC BY 4.0—
        services-eu1.arcgis.comAn Coimisiún PleanálaCC BY 4.030 Oct 2026
        data.nbco.gov.ieNational Building Control Office (BCMS)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026
        data.gov.ieVarious (see each layer)CC BY 4.0, CC BY-NC-ND 4.027 Sept 2026
        services-eu1.arcgis.comNational Inventory of Architectural HeritageCC BY 4.027 Sept 2026
        services-eu1.arcgis.comNational Monuments Service (SMR)CC BY 4.027 Sept 2026
        dlrcoco.citizenspace.comLocal authorities (consultation portals)Public31 Oct 2026
        www2.courts.ie—© the publisher31 Oct 2026
        cso.ie—CC BY 4.0—
        dartplus.ie project extents over NTA GTFS rail shapes (CC BY 4.0)—CC BY 4.0—
        services-eu1.arcgis.comLocal authorities (derelict sites registers)CC BY 4.026 Oct 2026
        transportforireland.ieNational Transport AuthorityCC BY 4.025 Oct 2026
        lda.ieLand Development AgencyCC BY 4.011 Sept 2026
        meetings.fingal.ieLocal authorities (council meetings)Public31 Oct 2026
        services.arcgis.comDepartment of Housing (National Planning Application Database)CC BY 4.031 Oct 2026
        services-eu1.arcgis.comTailte ÉireannCC BY 4.011 Sept 2026
        services-eu1.arcgis.comCSO, Tailte Éireann, OpenStreetMap contributorsCC BY 4.04 Oct 2026
        propertypriceregister.ieProperty Services Regulatory Authority (PPR)© PSRA, PSI licence1 Nov 2026
        services.arcgis.comLocal authorities (RZLT maps)CC BY 4.025 Oct 2026
        gov.ieDepartment of EducationCC BY 4.027 Oct 2026
        gov.ieDepartment of HousingCC BY-SA 4.023 Oct 2026
        services.arcgis.comLocal authorities via the Department of Housing (GZT / MyPlan)CC BY 4.025 Oct 2026
        Measured
        counted from a public register
        Calculated
        a rate or median we worked out from those counts
        Our classification
        we sorted it by reading each description
        Estimate
        inferred from another source (census, map data)
        Rule summary
        the law, simplified: check before relying on it
        How we work this out
        Generated 1 Nov 2026, 01:07 from the Planning Register store; nothing was fetched live. Not a legal search: the council's planning file is the record. Deadlines come from published dates under the Planning and Development Act 2000: confirm with the council before relying on them. Street map © OpenStreetMap contributors; building outlines © Overture Maps Foundation. The text version carries every figure with its source, for an AI assistant.