New figures from the CSO show that 1,355 dwelling units were given planning permission between January 1st and March 31st, compared with 3,667 units for the same period in 2011 - a decrease of 63%.
When the first quarter figures of 2012 are broken down, they show planning permissions were granted for 92 apartment units, compared with 592 units for the same period in 2011, a decrease of 84.5%.
One-off houses accounted for 64.1% of all new dwelling units granted permission in this quarter.
The total number granted for all developments was 3,368 compared with 4,019 in the first quarter of 2011, a decrease of 16.2%.
The total floor area planned was 734 thousand square metres in the first quarter of 2012. Of this, 37.8% was for new dwellings, 38.6% for other new constructions and 23.6% for extensions. The total floor area planned decreased by 37.6% in comparison with the same quarter in 2011.
Planning permissions for new buildings for Agriculture increased to 133 this quarter. This compares to 113 permissions in the same quarter of 2011.
In 2007, total planning permissions granted peaked at 62,367 for the full year and has seen a dramatic decrease since then. 15,992 were granted in 2011.
In the first quarter of 2007, 15,388 permissions were granted compared to 3,368 in the same period in 2012.
