Property & Planning
Week of 2026-W38
Irish Property Market Intelligence
Weekly Transactions & Planning Report | 14–20 September 2026
Source: PROPERTY | Period: 2026-09-14 to 2026-09-20
Dublin's €30M Stoneybatter Deal Anchors a Cooling August Market as Rural Planning Surges
The Property Price Register's most recently available data — transactions registered in August 2026 — reveals a market in seasonal retreat but structurally sound: 3 transactions nationally at a national median of €365,000, down from 2,953 in July but with Dublin's median holding firm at €461,241. The headline number is a single €30 million transaction at Stoneybatter Place (D07NP2K) — almost certainly a bulk residential acquisition at the Rope Walk development — that sits 65 times above the national median and signals continued institutional appetite for Dublin's inner-city stock. Meanwhile, planning data for the first two weeks of September 2026 shows 0 applications received, dominated by rural single-dwelling permissions across Cavan, Donegal and Galway — a pattern that speaks to persistent demand for one-off rural housing even as urban supply struggles to keep pace.
By the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| National transactions registered (Aug 2026) | 2,110 | Down 28.5% vs Jul |
| National median price (Aug 2026) | €365,000 | Up 1.1% vs Jul €361,136 |
| National average price (Aug 2026) | €425,603 | Down 7.6% vs Jul €460,489 |
| Dublin transactions (Aug 2026) | 685 | Down 27.4% vs Jul 944 |
| Dublin median price (Aug 2026) | €461,241 | Flat vs Jul €463,042 |
| Waterford avg price (Aug 2026) | €348,836 | Up 39.1% vs Jul €250,737 |
| Planning applications received (Sep 1–13) | 182 | Rural-dominated |
| Residential units in planning pipeline (Sep) | 68 | Low volume |
The Investigation: Who Is Buying, What Is Being Built, and Where
A deeper look at the August 2026 transaction data reveals a market with two distinct stories running in parallel. The first is the premium residential market — concentrated in Dublin's southside and inner city — where a cluster of transactions above €2 million signals continued wealth concentration and institutional activity. The second is the broader national market, where the median of €365,000 reflects a more constrained buyer pool navigating elevated mortgage rates and limited supply. The planning pipeline for early September adds a third dimension: a rural housing system still processing individual one-off applications at scale, with urban large-scale development conspicuously absent from the early-September docket.
County Price Tracker: August 2026 vs July 2026
Dublin and Cork both saw significant volume declines in August — a seasonal pattern — but the price story diverges sharply by county. Waterford's average surged on the back of a single premium quayside transaction, while Limerick and Galway held broadly steady. Kildare's volume halved from 196 to 108 transactions, suggesting the commuter belt market is more sensitive to seasonal slowdowns than the capital.
| County | Median Aug | Avg Jul | Change (Avg) | Txns Aug | Txns Jul | Volume Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | €461,241 | €725,402 | Avg -15.7% | 685 | 944 | -27.4% |
| Cork | n/a | €361,577 | Avg +1.5% | 235 | 362 | -35.1% |
| Kildare | n/a | €450,367 | Avg +5.1% | 108 | 196 | -44.9% |
| Waterford | n/a | €348,836 | Avg +39.1% | 68 | 64 | +6.3% |
| Galway | n/a | €390,928 | Avg +11.0% | 106 | 114 | -7.0% |
| Limerick | n/a | €305,579 | Avg -1.9% | 59 | 93 | -36.6% |
Top Transactions Registered in August 2026
The ten largest transactions registered in August 2026 are dominated by Dublin southside residential properties and one standout bulk purchase. The €30 million Stoneybatter transaction — registered without a property size descriptor, consistent with a multi-unit bulk purchase — dwarfs every other deal in the period. Four transactions in the D06 postcode area (Ranelagh, Leeson Park, Palmerston Park) confirm that Dublin 6 remains the most consistently active premium residential micro-market in the country.
| Address | County | Price | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoneybatter Place, Rope Walk 20, D07NP2K | Dublin | €30,004,844 | Residential | Bulk purchase |
| 4 Temple Gardens, Dublin 6, D06R8P0 | Dublin | €4,350,000 | Residential | D6 premium |
| 6 Palmerston Park, Dublin 6, D06FX78 | Dublin | €3,450,000 | Residential | D6 premium |
| Athassel, 35 Silchester Rd, Glenageary, A96D2Y2 | Dublin | €3,450,000 | Residential | Southside |
| 10 Winton Rd, Leeson Park, Dublin 6, D06RK68 | Dublin | €3,220,000 | Residential | D6 premium |
| 1-8 Spancel Rise, Fairfield Rd, Blackpool, Cork | Cork | €3,136,662 | Residential | VAT excl. new build |
| Liffey Business Campus, Leixlip, Kildare | Kildare | €3,010,427 | Commercial | Tech corridor |
| Dubhán, 10D Green Park, Dublin 14 | Dublin | €2,907,489 | Residential | VAT excl. new build |
| 77 Wellington Rd, Dublin 4, D04Y8C1 | Dublin | €2,800,000 | Residential | D4 premium |
| 8 Moyne House, Grattan Quay, Waterford, X91DE98 | Waterford | €2,448,356 | Residential | Quayside outlier |
Planning Pipeline: September 2026 Applications
The 0 planning applications received in the first 13 days of September 2026 tell a story of a planning system still dominated by rural one-off housing. Of 68 total residential units in the pipeline, the largest single application — five houses at Clonlea, Kilkishen, Co Clare — is a retention and completion of a partially-built scheme. The absence of large-scale urban residential applications in this early-September snapshot is notable, though the planning system's processing timelines mean that major urban schemes typically appear in later batches.
| Application | Authority | Description | Units | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26244 | Clare County Council | Retain/complete houses 1-5, Clonlea, Kilkishen | 5 | New Application |
| 2660814 | Wicklow County Council | 2 dormer semi-detached houses, Kindlestown Lower, Delgany | 2 | New Application |
| 2661009 | Kildare County Council | Family cluster: 3 houses, Rathmore West, Naas | 2 | New Application |
| 2661531 | Galway County Council | Renovation derelict cottage, Ervallagh, Roundstone (Natura Impact) | 1 | Pre-Validation |
| 2660512 | Cavan County Council | Convert vacant building to dwelling, Chapel Lane, Cootehill | 1 | New Application |
The Connections: What the Transaction Data Alone Cannot Tell You
Property transactions and planning applications are data points. The story emerges when you connect them to the broader economic context — the tax environment shaping investor behaviour, the legal framework constraining development, the geographic patterns revealing where Ireland is building and where it is not. This month, three themes stand out: the institutional appetite for Dublin inner-city bulk residential; the persistent rural-urban planning imbalance; and the approaching Budget 2027 which will directly reshape the economics of property investment and development.
The Radar: Three Signals Worth Watching
The Deep Dive: Two Stories That Deserve a Closer Look
Two transactions from August 2026 warrant deeper investigation: the €30 million Stoneybatter bulk purchase — the largest single residential transaction in the period and a window into institutional property investment in Dublin's inner city — and the Liffey Business Campus commercial sale in Leixlip, which tells a different story about Ireland's tech-corridor commercial property market. Together, they illustrate the two-speed nature of the Irish property market: high-value institutional and commercial activity at one end, and a constrained residential market for ordinary buyers at the other.
Stoneybatter Place, D07 — Ireland's Largest August Transaction and What It Tells Us About Institutional Residential Investment
The €30,004,844 transaction registered on 5 August 2026 at Stoneybatter Place, Rope Walk 20, Dublin 7 (D07NP2K) is the single largest residential transaction registered in August 2026 — and one of the largest in the Property Price Register's recent history. The address — Rope Walk, Stoneybatter — corresponds to a significant apartment development in one of Dublin's most transformed inner-city neighbourhoods. The absence of a property size descriptor on the register, combined with the scale of the transaction, is consistent with a bulk purchase of multiple residential units by an institutional buyer, whether a real estate investment trust, a local authority, or a housing association.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction price | €30,004,844 | 65x national median (€365,000) |
| vs Dublin median (Aug 2026) | €461,241 | Transaction is 65x Dublin median |
| Registration date | 5 Aug 2026 | Property Price Register lag: 4-6 weeks |
| Property type | Residential | No size descriptor — consistent with bulk |
| VAT status | Not VAT-exclusive | Second-hand or social housing transfer |
| Eircode | D07NP2K | Stoneybatter/Smithfield area, Dublin 7 |
| Dublin 7 avg price (Aug 2026) | ~€461,000 | Transaction is 65x area average |
The question for Q4 2026: will the Rope Walk transaction prove to be a one-off bulk completion, or will it be followed by further large-scale institutional acquisitions as the Dublin apartment pipeline delivers? The answer will depend partly on the interest rate environment and partly on the outcome of Budget 2027's treatment of institutional property investment.
Liffey Business Campus, Leixlip — The €3M Commercial Sale in Ireland's Tech Heartland
The €3,010,427 commercial transaction at Liffey Business Campus, Leixlip, Co Kildare, registered on 7 August 2026, is the only commercial property transaction in the August top ten — and its location is as significant as its price. Leixlip sits at the centre of Ireland's semiconductor and technology manufacturing corridor, home to Intel's Fab 34 campus (a €17 billion investment), and within the orbit of multiple pharmaceutical and technology operations in east Kildare and west Dublin.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction price | €3,010,427 | Only commercial transaction in Aug top 10 |
| Property type | Commercial | Business campus premises |
| Location | Leixlip, Co Kildare | Adjacent to Intel Fab 34 corridor |
| Registration date | 7 Aug 2026 | Property Price Register lag: 4-6 weeks |
| Kildare residential avg (Aug 2026) | €450,367 | Commercial premium vs residential |
| Kildare volume change (Jul-Aug) | -44.9% | Residential market cooling; commercial active |
The question for 2027: as Intel's Fab 34 ramps up production and the east Kildare tech cluster matures, will commercial property demand translate into residential price pressure in Leixlip and the surrounding area? The answer will depend on whether the planning system can deliver the residential supply that a growing tech workforce requires.
Key People This Period
| Name | Role | Notable Activity | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Burke | Enterprise Minister | Pushing CGT reduction from 33% to 10% in Budget 2027 — directly affects property developer exit economics | Budget 2027 article |
| Simon Harris | Tánaiste & Finance Minister | EU banking integration push; comprehensive enterprise tax review for Budget 2028 — shapes mortgage market and investment environment | EU small business article |
| Institutional Buyer (unnamed) | Property Investor | €30M bulk residential acquisition at Stoneybatter Place, D07NP2K — largest single transaction in Aug 2026 | Stoneybatter Place transaction |
| Developer (unnamed) | Residential Developer | Delivered 8 units at Spancel Rise, Blackpool, Cork — €3.14M VAT-exclusive new-build sale | Spancel Rise transaction |
| Developer (unnamed) | Residential Developer | Delivered Green Park development, Dublin 14 — two VAT-exclusive transactions totalling €5.35M (Dubhán €2.91M + Cromlech €2.44M) | Green Park D14 transaction |
One to Watch: Waterford City's Quayside Premium Market
Waterford Quayside Residential Market
| Metric | Aug 2026 | Jul 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| County avg price | €348,836 | €250,737 | +39.1% |
| County transactions | 68 | 64 | +6.3% |
| Premium transaction | €2,448,356 | n/a | 7x county avg |
| Premium vs national median | 6.7x | n/a | Outlier |
What they represent: The €2.45 million transaction at 8 Moyne House, Grattan Quay, Waterford City (X91DE98) represents a category of property that barely existed in Waterford a decade ago: premium waterfront residential product priced at multiples of the county average. Moyne House on Grattan Quay is part of Waterford's quayside regeneration, a sustained effort to transform the city's historic waterfront into a premium residential and commercial destination.
Why it matters: Waterford is Ireland's oldest city and has historically been undervalued relative to its size and heritage. The emergence of a premium residential tier — with transactions above €2M — signals that the city's regeneration investment is beginning to translate into price discovery at the top end of the market. If the quayside continues to attract premium buyers, it could catalyse a broader revaluation of Waterford's residential market and attract further development investment. The number that matters: €2,448,356 — 7x the county average, and a price point that would not have been achievable in Waterford five years ago.
The number that matters: €2,448,356 — 7x Waterford's August average of €348,836. Watch for: whether further premium transactions appear on Grattan Quay or the broader Waterford quayside in Q4 2026, which would confirm a structural shift rather than a one-off outlier.
The Broader Picture: Courts, Companies, and the Week Ahead
The Irish Courts: Planning Law in the Spotlight
No new judgments were delivered in the August–September 2026 period covered by this report — the courts database shows no entries for this window. However, the body of recent planning law jurisprudence continues to shape the development landscape in ways that every property professional should understand. Three cases from the recent record are particularly relevant to the current market context.
| Citation | Parties | Subject | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| [2025] IEHC 659 | Reilly & Ors v An Coimisiún Pleanála | 31 residential units, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin | Developers Lark Finance Ltd and SM Blackhorse Ltd — planning authority applied wrong development plan. Highlights transition risks in new planning regime. |
| [2024] IEHC 86 | Mulloy v An Bord Pleanála & Ors | Dublin transport planning and NTA strategic functions | Clarifies NTA's role in planning process — relevant to large-scale Dublin residential schemes near transport corridors. |
| [2022] IEHC 83 | Flannery & Ors v An Bord Pleanála | Residential development on Z9 zoned (open space) lands, Dublin | Board's consideration of developer's financial situation deemed irrelevant and improper. Reinforces that planning decisions must be made on planning grounds alone. |
Property Markets & Plans: The Commercial Sector and the Planning Pipeline
Beyond the residential market, August 2026 produced one significant commercial transaction — the €3M Liffey Business Campus sale in Leixlip — and the early September planning data shows a pipeline dominated by rural residential applications. The commercial property market, while not the focus of this report, is signalling continued activity in Ireland's technology and pharmaceutical corridors, consistent with the broader pattern of multinational investment in Irish infrastructure.
| Property / Application | Location | Value / Type | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liffey Business Campus | Leixlip, Kildare | €3,010,427 commercial | Tech corridor commercial confidence; adjacent to Intel Fab 34 |
| Planning: Clonlea, Kilkishen | Co Clare | 5 residential units (retention) | Largest residential planning application in early Sep 2026 |
| Planning: Kindlestown Lower, Delgany | Co Wicklow | 2 semi-detached houses (305sqm) | Wicklow commuter belt new-build activity |
| Planning: Rathmore West, Naas | Co Kildare | Family cluster: 3 houses | Rural family cluster planning — growing application type |
| Planning: Ervallagh, Roundstone | Co Galway | Derelict cottage renovation (Natura Impact) | Derelict stock conversion with environmental complexity |
The Week Ahead: What to Watch in Q4 2026
The Irish property market enters Q4 2026 with a clear set of known unknowns. The August transaction data confirms that prices are holding — the national median of €365,000 is essentially flat year-on-year — but volume is under pressure from elevated mortgage rates and constrained supply. The planning pipeline is dominated by rural applications, with large-scale urban schemes largely absent from the early-September docket. And Budget 2027, due on 14 October 2026, will set the tax framework for property investment and development for the next 12 months. Three things to watch in the coming weeks.
What to Watch:
- Budget 2027 (14 October 2026): Will CGT on qualifying business disposals be cut from 33% to 10%? If so, what structures qualify? The answer will reshape the economics of property development and investment for the next cycle.
- September and October transaction data: Will the August volume dip prove seasonal, or is it the start of a sustained slowdown? The September register (available in October) will be the first real test.
- Large-scale urban planning applications: The absence of major urban residential schemes in early September is notable. Watch for Dublin City Council, Cork City Council, and South Dublin County Council application batches in October and November for signals on the urban supply pipeline.