Property & Planning
Week of 2026-W14
Irish Property Market Intelligence
Weekly Transactions & Planning Monitor — 31 March to 6 April 2026
Source: PROPERTY | Period: 2026-03-31 to 2026-04-06
78 Planning Applications, Zero Registered Transactions: Ireland's Property Market in the Register Lag — But the Pipeline Tells a Different Story
The Property Price Register recorded no transactions for the week of 31 March to 6 April 2026 — a routine consequence of the register's 4–6 week reporting lag, not a market freeze. The real story this period is in the planning pipeline: 0 applications received across 17 local authorities, anchored by a 97,000 sqm data centre extension at Baldonnel (D22) and a rural post office in Longford being converted to apartments. The broader market context, drawn from the most recent available PPR data, shows a national median of €351,577 in Q4 2025 — with Dublin's median running at €449,858 over the six months to March 2026, a 27.8% premium over the national figure that shows no sign of narrowing.
The planning data this week is a microcosm of Ireland's development economy: tech infrastructure pushing into Dublin's western fringe, infill housing in premium south Dublin suburbs, rural towns trying to repurpose redundant civic buildings, and a Donegal homeowner seeking retention for an AirBnB conversion. Each application is a small signal; together they map the pressures and opportunities shaping the built environment.
By the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Planning applications received (period) | 0 | Active pipeline |
| Permission applications | 56 | Dominant type |
| Retention applications | 13 | 16.7% of total |
| Largest site area (SD20A/0295/EP) | 97,000 sqm | Data centre D22 |
| National median price Q4 2025 | €351,577 | Most recent PPR data |
| Dublin avg price Oct 25–Mar 26 | €668,062 | +89.9% vs national avg |
| National transactions full year 2025 | 63,280 | Record volume |
| PPR transactions registered (period) | 0 | Register lag 4–6 weeks |
The Planning Pipeline: What 78 Applications Tell Us About Ireland's Built Environment
A deeper look at the 78 planning applications received between 31 March and 6 April 2026 reveals a development economy operating on two very different tracks. On one track: Dublin's south county belt, where homeowners in Monkstown, Blackrock, Glenageary, and Booterstown are extending, renovating, and subdividing premium properties — a sign of a market where moving is too expensive, so improving is the rational choice. On the other: rural Ireland, where a Longford post office becomes apartments and a Donegal homeowner formalises an AirBnB. These are not disconnected stories. They are the same housing crisis, expressed differently by geography.
Notable Planning Applications: 31 March – 6 April 2026
| Application | Address | Authority | Type | Description | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD20A/0295/EP | Grange Castle South Business Park, Baldonnel, D22 T2P7 | South Dublin CC | Extension of Duration | Data centre modifications, 97,000 sqm site | Tech infrastructure |
| SD25A/0311W | Greenogue Business Park, Jordanstown Rd, Dublin 24 | South Dublin CC | Permission | 1,444 sqm warehouse + 486 sqm office, 1,930 sqm total | Industrial/logistics |
| D26A/0261/WEB | 23 Abbey Road, Monkstown, A94 YT26 | Dun Laoghaire Rathdown | Permission | Housing new — alteration/demolition, 1,593 sqm site | Premium infill |
| D26A/0255/WEB | Rear of 42 Silchester Road, Glenageary, A96 D8X8 | Dun Laoghaire Rathdown | Permission | Two 3-storey houses, rear garden subdivision | Infill housing |
| D26A/0256/WEB | 1 Kerrymount Green, Cornelscourt, D18 N8X3 | Dun Laoghaire Rathdown | Permission | Garden subdivision, new single house | Infill housing |
| 2660106 | Main Street, Drumlish, Co. Longford N39 E3C6 | Longford CC | Permission | Post office to 3 apartments (1-bed + 2-bed) | Town centre regen |
| 2650053 | Lehardan, Rathmullan, Co. Donegal F92 D5P3 | Donegal CC | Retention | Change of use: dwelling to AirBnB | Short-term let |
| D26A/0260/WEB | 8 Main Street, Dundrum, D14 N1K7 | Dun Laoghaire Rathdown | Permission | Shop up to 2,000 sqm new — retail | Commercial retail |
| 2660365 | Knightstown, Wilkinstown, Co. Meath C15 W9F4 | Meath CC | Permission | One-off house, 310 sqm floor area | Rural one-off |
| 2660152 | Lynn Road, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath N91 EV54 | Westmeath CC | Permission | 18 ground-mounted solar panels, agricultural/residential | Energy transition |
County Price Tracker: Market Context (Oct 2025 – Mar 2026)
The Property Price Register's 4–6 week lag means no transactions are registered for the exact period under review. The table below provides the most recent available county-level data (October 2025 to March 2026) as the authoritative market context. Dublin's average price of €668,062 is not a typo — it reflects the concentration of high-value transactions (including commercial and investment properties) in the capital. The median of €449,858 is the more representative figure for residential buyers. Kildare and Meath, at €409,151 and €398,000 respectively, show the commuter belt premium narrowing but not closing.
| County | Avg Price | Median Price | Transactions | vs National Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | €668,062 | €449,858 | 7,703 | +69.5% vs national |
| Kildare | €409,151 | — | 1,463 | +16.1% vs Cork |
| Meath | €398,000 | — | 1,198 | +13.0% vs Cork |
| Galway | €391,887 | — | 1,164 | +11.2% vs Cork |
| Cork | €352,312 | €343,470 | 2,896 | Benchmark |
| Limerick | €324,638 | — | 824 | −7.9% vs Cork |
| Waterford | €295,084 | — | 699 | −16.2% vs Cork |
The Connections: What the Planning Data Alone Cannot Tell You
Planning applications are the most forward-looking data in the property market — they tell you where investment is heading before it arrives. But the planning register only shows the application, not the story behind it. Over the period, three structural themes emerge when you connect the planning pipeline to the broader market: the concentration of commercial development in Dublin West, the slow-burn crisis of rural housing repurposing, and the growing tension between short-term letting and residential supply. A fourth theme — commercial confidence in Cork — is visible only when you look beyond the planning data to the Business Post's reporting on the city's long-delayed events centre.
The Radar: Three Signals Worth Watching
The Deep Dive: Two Stories the Planning Register Tells in Full
Two applications this period deserve a deeper look than the planning register alone can provide. One is the largest site in the dataset by a factor of 22 — a data centre extension at Baldonnel that has been in the planning system since 2018 and is now seeking modifications and an extension of duration. The other is the smallest in terms of residential output but the most policy-significant: a post office in Drumlish, Co. Longford, being converted to three apartments. Together, they illustrate the two poles of Ireland's built environment in 2026: the global digital economy's physical footprint, and the slow work of repurposing rural Ireland's redundant civic infrastructure.
Grange Castle South Business Park — Ireland's Largest Active Planning Application
The Grange Castle South Business Park data centre (SD20A/0295/EP) at Baldonnel, Dublin 22 (D22 T2P7) is not a new development — it is a 2018 permission (SD18A/0134, ABP Ref. ABP-302813-18) that has been under construction and is now seeking an extension of duration and a series of modifications. The site covers 9.7 hectares (97,000 sqm) within the Grange Castle South Business Park, bounded by Baldonnel Road to the west and south. The modifications sought are extensive: demolition of three residential properties (Weston House, Weston Lodge, Kent Cottage), retention of a sprinkler tank and pump house, retention of 40kW PV panels on Building A, retention of revised flue arrangements (16 flues grouped into 8 towers of 20m height), and modifications to the vehicular entrance including a new guard house. The application is currently at Officer Allocation stage at South Dublin County Council, with a decision due by 26 May 2026.
| Metric | Detail | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Application number | SD20A/0295/EP | Extension of Duration of Permission |
| Original permission | SD18A/0134 (2018) | 8-year development timeline |
| Site area | 97,000 sqm (9.7 ha) | Largest in period by factor of 22 |
| Location | Baldonnel, D22 T2P7 | Dublin West tech corridor |
| Residential demolitions | 3 dwellings (Weston House, Weston Lodge, Kent Cottage) | Homes displaced for infrastructure |
| Energy infrastructure | 40kW PV panels retained on Building A | On-site renewable energy |
| Decision due | 26 May 2026 | South Dublin CC |
| Status | Officer Allocation | Early stage review |
The forward-looking question for this development: the Grange Castle South Business Park is already one of Ireland's most significant digital infrastructure sites. The extension of duration application signals that the developer remains committed to completing the scheme. But the grid capacity question — whether EirGrid can supply the power demand of a fully operational data centre campus at this scale — is the constraint that no planning permission can resolve. Watch for EirGrid's grid connection queue data in Q3 2026 as the indicator of whether this development can proceed to full operation.
Drumlish Post Office — Rural Regeneration in Three Apartments
Application 2660106 at Main Street, Drumlish, Co. Longford (N39 E3C6) is the most policy-relevant planning application of the period. A post office building is being converted to one 1-bed apartment, and an adjacent dwelling is being extended and converted to one 1-bed and one 2-bed apartment — three units in total, on a 0.229 hectare site in a Longford town centre. The application is at Pre-Validation stage at Longford County Council, with a decision due by 27 May 2026.
| Metric | Detail | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Application number | 2660106 | Longford County Council |
| Address | Main Street, Drumlish, Co. Longford N39 E3C6 | Town centre location |
| Development | Post office to 1-bed apt + dwelling to 1-bed + 2-bed apts | 3 residential units total |
| Site area | 0.229 ha | Compact town centre footprint |
| Application type | Permission | New residential supply |
| Decision due | 27 May 2026 | Longford County Council |
| Policy alignment | Town Centre First, Vacant Homes Action Plan | Directly policy-compliant |
Key People This Period
| Name | Role | Notable Activity | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justice Garrett Simons | High Court Judge | Ruled in BMC Renovation v Gael Property Investments — enforced €119,162 construction adjudication award; confirmed residential occupier exception does not apply to companies | Construction Contracts Act 2013; property sector litigation |
| Justice Richard Humphreys | High Court Judge | Refused leave to appeal in Moss v An Coimisiún Pleanála [No.2] — cleared path for Lightsource Renewable Energy Ireland solar farm; access tracks not 'roads' requiring EIA | Renewable energy planning; An Coimisiún Pleanála |
| Justice Liam Kennedy | High Court Judge | Dismissed mortgage injunction in O'Callaghan v Pepper Finance — Spencer Dock and Castleknock properties; loan sale chain from Bank of Scotland Ireland through Erimon to Pepper Finance | Pepper Finance Corporation; mortgage enforcement; Spencer Dock |
| Tom Coughlan | Developer | Competing for €150m+ Cork events centre with Marina Market proposal (4,000–5,000 seats) — reported by Business Post 27 April 2026 | Cork City Council; Bam; Cork GAA; Marina Market |
| Pauline O'Callaghan | Property Owner / Plaintiff | Sought injunction to restrain sale of Spencer Dock and Castleknock properties by Pepper Finance receiver — application dismissed; loan sale chain from Bank of Scotland Ireland | Pepper Finance Corporation; Bank of Scotland Ireland; Erimon Home Loans |
One to Watch: Drumlish, Co. Longford — The Rural Regeneration Test Case
Drumlish Town Centre Regeneration (Application 2660106)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Units proposed | 3 (1 x 1-bed, 1 x 1-bed, 1 x 2-bed) |
| Site area | 0.229 ha |
| Building type | Post office conversion + dwelling extension |
| Location | Town centre, Main Street |
| Decision due | 27 May 2026 |
| Policy alignment | Town Centre First, Vacant Homes Action Plan |
What they're doing: Converting a redundant post office building and an adjacent dwelling into three apartments in the centre of Drumlish, a small Longford town. The application includes car parking, bicycle storage, bin storage, and landscaping — a complete residential development in miniature.
Why it matters: This application is a test case for the government's Town Centre First policy. An Post has been rationalising its network for years, leaving post office buildings vacant in town centres across rural Ireland. If Longford County Council grants permission and the development proceeds, it establishes a replicable model for converting redundant civic buildings into residential supply in rural towns. The cumulative potential — hundreds of vacant post office buildings nationally — is significant. The question for the next planning cycle: does this application succeed, and does it attract copycat applications in other Longford towns and beyond?
The number that matters: 3 — the number of apartments proposed. Small in isolation, but if replicated across 200 vacant post office buildings nationally, that's 600 apartments in town centres that currently have zero residential supply pipeline. The Drumlish application is the proof of concept.
The Broader Picture: Courts, Companies, and the Week Ahead
The Irish Courts
The High Court delivered 48 judgments in the period from 1 March to 6 April 2026, with four cases of direct relevance to property, construction, and planning. The most significant for the built environment is the construction contract enforcement case BMC Renovation Limited v Gael Property Investments Limited, which clarifies that the residential occupier exception in the Construction Contracts Act 2013 does not apply to companies — a ruling with immediate practical implications for any property company that attempts to use the exception to avoid paying construction contractors. The planning cases confirm that the courts are actively managing the pipeline of challenges to An Coimisiún Pleanála, with two cases decided in the same week.
| Citation | Parties | Subject | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| [2026] IEHC 195 | BMC Renovation v Gael Property Investments | Construction contract enforcement €119,162 + VAT | Residential occupier exception does not apply to companies; 'pay now, argue later' principle upheld |
| [2026] IEHC 189 | O'Callaghan v Pepper Finance Corporation (Ireland) DAC | Mortgage enforcement injunction refused — Spencer Dock and Castleknock properties | Loan sale chain from Bank of Scotland Ireland through Erimon Home Loans to Pepper Finance upheld; delay and acquiescence bars relief |
| [2026] IEHC 175 | Moss and Ors v An Coimisiún Pleanála [No.2] | Solar farm planning — leave to appeal refused | Lightsource Renewable Energy Ireland solar farm cleared; access tracks not 'roads' requiring EIA; renewable energy projects in public interest |
| [2026] IEHC 177 | Phelan Walsh v An Coimisiún Pleanála | Planning judicial review | Continued judicial oversight of An Coimisiún Pleanála decision-making |
Property Markets and Plans
The Property Price Register's 4–6 week lag means no transactions are registered for the exact period under review. The most recent available data — October 2025 to March 2026 — shows a market that is active but geographically bifurcated: Dublin's median of €449,858 is 31% above the national Q4 2025 median of €351,577, and the gap is not narrowing. The planning pipeline for the period is dominated by commercial and incremental residential activity, with the 97,000 sqm Baldonnel data centre extension (SD20A/0295/EP) the standout application by scale. The Dundrum retail application (D26A/0260/WEB) — a new shop of up to 2,000 sqm on Main Street — signals continued commercial confidence in the south Dublin retail corridor.
| Application / Transaction | Location | Type | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD20A/0295/EP | Grange Castle South Business Park, Baldonnel D22 T2P7 | Extension of Duration — Data Centre | 97,000 sqm; largest site in period; Dublin West tech corridor |
| SD25A/0311W | Greenogue Business Park, Dublin 24 | Permission — Warehouse/Office | 1,930 sqm industrial/logistics; Dublin West expansion |
| D26A/0260/WEB | 8 Main Street, Dundrum, D14 N1K7 | Permission — Retail | New shop up to 2,000 sqm; commercial confidence in south Dublin |
| D26A/0261/WEB | 23 Abbey Road, Monkstown, A94 YT26 | Permission — Housing New | 1,593 sqm site; premium infill in A94 eircode belt |
| 2660106 | Main Street, Drumlish, Co. Longford N39 E3C6 | Permission — Change of Use | Post office to 3 apartments; Town Centre First policy test case |
The Companies Registration Office
The CRO's data lag means company registrations for the exact period (31 March – 6 April 2026) are not yet available in the register. The planning applicants identified in this period's data are predominantly private individuals rather than corporate entities — consistent with the dominance of domestic extension and alteration applications. The one notable corporate dimension is the Grange Castle South Business Park data centre application (SD20A/0295/EP), which relates to a 2018 permission granted to an unnamed corporate applicant. No CRO cross-reference was possible for this period's planning applicants due to the absence of applicant name data in the planning register records.
The Week Ahead
The period of 31 March to 6 April 2026 is best understood as a planning pipeline snapshot rather than a transaction market report. The Property Price Register's lag means the real market activity of this week will only become visible in the register in late April or early May 2026. What the planning data tells us is that Ireland's development economy is operating on two very different tracks: a high-capital, commercially-driven track in Dublin West (data centres, logistics, retail), and a low-capital, policy-driven track in rural Ireland (post office conversions, one-off houses, AirBnB retentions). The courts are actively managing the legal framework for both tracks — clarifying construction contract enforcement, clearing the way for renewable energy development, and adjudicating mortgage enforcement disputes that trace back to the 2008 crisis.
The single most important takeaway from this period is the ratio: 78 planning applications, 4 residential units. That ratio — one new home per 19.5 applications — is the clearest possible expression of Ireland's housing supply problem. The planning system is not broken; it is processing applications efficiently. But the applications it is processing are overwhelmingly for extensions, retentions, and commercial development, not for new homes. Until that ratio changes, the housing crisis will not be resolved by planning reform alone.
What to Watch:
1. South Dublin County Council's decision on SD20A/0295/EP (Baldonnel data centre extension) — due 26 May 2026. A grant of extension of duration confirms the D22 corridor as Ireland's primary digital infrastructure zone; a refusal would be a significant signal about grid capacity constraints.
2. Longford County Council's decision on 2660106 (Drumlish post office to apartments) — due 27 May 2026. A grant of permission establishes the proof of concept for An Post building conversions nationally; a refusal would signal that Town Centre First policy has not yet translated into planning outcomes.
3. Cork City Council's shortlist announcement for the €150m+ events centre — expected in the coming weeks. The shortlisted consortium will be the largest commercial planning applicant in Cork in a generation. Watch for the planning application to follow within 12–18 months.