The signals, explained · updated 25 Sept 2026
Stalled and unbuilt housing sites in Dublin, site by site
More than 80,000 Dublin homes had planning permission by mid-2026 and fewer than half were built or under construction. The press reports the totals; this is the list. Stalled schemes and permitted-but-unstarted sites in each Dublin council, how we define each, and what the official figures say.
Key facts
- Stalled (our definition)
- Commencement notice at least 3 years old, planned end date passed over a year ago, no completion certificate; 10+ homes or 1,000 m²+
- Not started (our definition)
- Live grant of 10+ homes, no commencement notice, more than a year to run
- Official stock
- 78,658 homes with permission in Dublin, Q1 2026; 31,936 built or under way on 202 active sites (Department of Housing)
- Mid-2026
- 80,285 homes with permission; 33,623 (41.9%) built or under construction (Irish Times, Q2 data)
Planning permission was in place for 80,285 Dublin homes by mid-2026, and 33,623 of them, 41.9%, were built or under construction (Irish Times, 23 August 2026, from the Department of Housing's Q2 figures). In the first quarter the Department put the stock of permissions at 78,658 homes, with 31,936 built or under construction on 202 active sites. The difference, 46,722 homes, is the number Roundtower Capital reported as uncommenced, 41,114 of them apartments. The Irish Times put the Q4 2025 figure at 45,824 homes, 58.8% of those permitted, including 40,208 apartments.
Those reports give the totals. They do not list the sites. Buildable does, in two lists, because "unbuilt" covers two different situations.
Permitted, never started
A live grant of 10 or more homes with no commencement notice, and more than a year left to run. The owner holds a consent and has not used it. These are on permitted, not built. When less than a year remains they move to permissions running out, which is where the pressure to sell is sharpest (see the 2025 extension rule).
Started, then stopped
A scheme that lodged a commencement notice at least three years ago, whose planned end date passed more than a year ago, and that has no completion certificate on the register. We count schemes of 10 or more homes, or 1,000 m² or more of floor space. These are on stalled sites.
Treat this list with care. One of the longest-stalled is Belmont, Stepaside, in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown: 37 homes, commenced on 16 June 2014 with a planned end of January 2015, and no completion certificate since. A missing certificate does not prove a site is idle: the certificate may simply not have been lodged, and some notices cover enabling works only (one on the list is for enabling works at Brennanstown Wood). Each stalled site links to its commencement notice so you can check before you act.
Why the two lists differ from the official figures
Buildable's lists are of sites, not homes, and cover grants of 10 or more homes in the four Dublin councils. The Department's quarterly 4Dublin reports count homes across all permitted schemes. A permission that was superseded by a later grant, or is under appeal, is left out. Expect lower home counts than the press totals, and more specific site lists.
New development sites in Dublin, every Monday
The week's new sites: permission running out, council selling land, derelict or stalled. Each with its source. Free while in beta.
Frequently asked questions
How many homes have planning permission in Dublin but haven't started?
About 46,700 at the end of the first quarter of 2026, by the Department of Housing's figures (78,658 permitted, 31,936 built or under construction).
What is a stalled site?
On Buildable: a scheme of 10 or more homes (or 1,000 m²) with a commencement notice at least three years old, a planned end date more than a year past, and no completion certificate.
Where is the list?
By council, below: stalled sites and permitted-not-built sites for each Dublin council.
Sources
- Department of Housing — Dublin housing pipeline, stock of residential permissions rises to 78,658 homes (18 May 2026)
- Department of Housing — 4Dublin housing supply pipeline quarterly reports
- Irish Times — 40,000 units granted planning not activated (20 Apr 2026)
- Irish Times — Planning in place for 80,000 Dublin homes but work has started on less than half (23 Aug 2026)
- Roundtower Capital — 46,722 inactive permissions (21 May 2026)
General information, not legal, tax or valuation advice. Live figures are at most an hour old. Everything else cites the statute or the official page. Permalink.