Minister Seán Canney welcomes new planning law to unlock stalled housing developments
Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the commencement of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2025, which comes into effect today (August 1st).
The new law aims to unlock thousands of homes currently stalled due to expired or expiring planning permissions and legal delays, particularly in urban areas.
“This is a practical and overdue move to get homes built,” said Minister Canney. “It gives developers the time and certainty they need to activate sites and get construction underway — without losing permissions to bureaucracy or court delays.”
Key provisions under the new Act:
- Extensions for planning permissions nearing expiry, even where no work has yet commenced.
- Time spent in Judicial Review proceedings will not count against the life of a planning permission, and this measure applies retrospectively.
Currently there are:
- Over 40,000 un-commenced residential units exist on 265 inactive sites in Dublin alone, with around 15,000 planning permissions due to expire within two years.
- Almost 19,000 homes across 52 sites have been subject to Judicial Review proceedings in the last five years.
- Of these, 15,800 homes were permitted but delayed, while 3,000 remain under review.
Minister Canney added: “This is about removing red tape and unlocking real homes. These changes will support housing delivery, provide clarity to developers and funders, and ensure that planning permissions don’t go to waste because of process delays.”