The CSO planning permissions quarterly statistical release sets out information on planning permissions granted for houses and apartments. The following tables summarise the relevant information. It is noteworthy that the number of apartments for which permission was granted has almost doubled as a percentage of the total number of dwellings granted permission, from under 16% in 1998 to over 30% in 2003 and the first two quarters of 2004.
The CSO publication has included information on the number of permissions granted for one off houses since the second quarter of 2002. The data shows that permissions for one off houses has been broadly within the range of 18% to 30% of permissions for all dwellings in that period. The guidelines for planning authorities on residential density are aimed at increasing residential density in urban and suburban locations. This data clearly indicates that there have been significant changes in housing patterns in these areas, with more traditional suburban forms of development being replaced by more mixed forms of higher density development. As evidence of this, the number of apartments for which permission has been granted has almost doubled as a proportion of the total number of permissions for dwellings. It is clear that these trends are broadly in conformity with the guidelines.
Table 1: Number of apartments granted planning permission as a percentage of all dwellings (houses and apartments) granted planning permission in each year.
|
No. of apartments granted
|
No. of houses granted
|
Total No. of dwelling units granted
|
Apartments as % of all dwellings granted
|
1998
|
7,431
|
39,958
|
47,389
|
15.7
|
1999
|
12,801
|
63,795
|
76,596
|
16.7
|
2000
|
17,415
|
73,828
|
91,243
|
19.1
|
2001
|
17,780
|
60,666
|
78,446
|
22.7
|
2002
|
18,259
|
51,055
|
69,314
|
26.3
|
2003
|
28,749
|
49,605
|
78,354
|
36.7
|
2004 (First 2 Quarters)
|
15,660
|
35,707
|
51,367
|
30.5
|
[Source: CSO planning permissions statistical release series.]
Table 2: Number of one off houses granted planning permission as a percentage of all dwellings (houses and apartments) granted planning permission in each quarter
|
No. of one off houses granted
|
No. of houses (excluding one offs) granted
|
No. of Apartments granted
|
Total No. of dwelling units granted
|
One offs as % of all dwelling units granted
|
Q2 2002
|
3,781
|
11,455
|
5,163
|
20,399
|
18.5
|
Q3 2002
|
4,677
|
8,824
|
4,771
|
18,272
|
25.6
|
Q4 2002
|
3,944
|
6,269
|
4,125
|
14,338
|
27.5
|
Q1 2003
|
4,093
|
5,418
|
4,030
|
13,541
|
30.2
|
Q2 2003
|
4,336
|
8,782
|
7,484
|
20,602
|
21.0
|
Q3 2003
|
4,653
|
9,741
|
10,065
|
24,459
|
19.0
|
Q4 2003
|
4,480
|
8,102
|
7,170
|
19,752
|
22.7
|
Q1 2004
|
5,841
|
11,213
|
8,347
|
25,401
|
23.0
|
Q2 2004
|
6,483
|
12,170
|
7,313
|
25,966
|
25.0
|
[Source: CSO planning permissions statistical release series.]