How the war in Iran is driving up the cost of building Irish homes

Construction chief Andrew Brownlee warns that a lack of planning permissions and serviceable land could lead to a massive housing shortage by 2028

'Because of those little levels of commencements, we are really worried, particularly about 2028 and 2029.'

Due to lower levels of planning permissions being granted and fewer commencements, the construction sector is “really worried” about housing completions over the coming years, with the onus now on local authorities to zone more serviceable land, the chief executive of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has said.

Housing completions did increase year-on-year during 2025, up 20.4% to 36,284, and while the sector is expecting another small increase this year, there are concerns about the longer term, especially as  housing targets get more and more ambitious.