“Shocking” planning delays have led to the cancellation of thousands of new homes, a housing expert has claimed. 

The nation’s often slow and cumbersome planning system has been routinely blamed for the housing crisis. 

Last year, the Oireachtas passed the Planning and Development Act which then-Minister Darragh O’Brien overhauled the planning process to “to ensure it was fit for purpose”. 

On The Pat Kenny Show, Irish Mortgage Brokers Director Karl Deeter said over the years Ireland’s planning system has spawned two “offspring”. 

“One is supply shortages which leads to crazy house prices,” he said. 

“The other is increasing homelessness. 

“Our ability to get through planning in this country is so flawed and that is one part that you don’t see in other countries. 

“We need excess supply to rationalise house prices.” 

House building in Dublin. Picture by: Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie

Mr Deeter continued that any planning system needs to be “swift, transparent and fair”, adding that a housing development near to him was first proposed 20 years ago. 

“It’s a shocking delay,” he said. 

“Four, five years ago, there were 53,000 houses held up in judicial reviews. 

“As of March this year, The Village magazine had statistics showing there were over 17,000. 

“We’ve had almost 2,500 homes [cancelled] because of judicial reviews, because of An Bord Pleanála. 

“And these were all actually fully correct applications that made it through planning - then they die afterwards.” 

Wider infrastructure

Mr Deeter described this as “frustrating” given the severity of the housing crisis. 

“Out in Donabate, there’s a huge development going on,” he said. 

“The second phase of it, which would provide really important, necessary homes, is being delayed. 

“Because people are saying, ‘Oh, we now want culture centres, we want these other things, these other amenities.’ 

“Somehow, that all falls onto the housing provider to supply this.” 

Last year, 30,330 new homes were built in Ireland - fewer than the 32,525 completed in 2023.

Main image: A housing estate in Kildare. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie