Delays in planning process see 20,000 homes waiting on decision

Construction consultants Mitchell McDermott expects total housing output this year to be 33,000 units but it will take until the end of the decade before 50,000 units a year is reached.

Plans for over 20,000 homes categorised as strategic housing developments (SHD) have yet to be determined by An Bord Pleanála while a further 8,139 are being held up by judicial reviews, a new report has found.

The report by Mitchell McDermott, an independent firm of construction consultants, said decisions on these applications are now overdue by an average of 16 months as housing affordability becomes increasingly an issue for prospective buyers.