How Irish planning works

The planning route (since late 2021) for larger housing schemes: the application is decided by the local authority, with appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The former fast-track route (2017-2021) where large housing schemes applied directly to the national planning body. Replaced by LRD, but still appears in historic records.

The route for nationally significant projects - data centres, windfarms, major grid, ports and water - consented directly by An Coimisiún Pleanála, bypassing the local authority.

The procedure a local authority uses to approve its own development - housing, roads, civic buildings and amenities - under Part 8 of the planning regulations.

Works that may not need planning permission if they stay within the limits and conditions set out in the planning regulations.

Converting a building or site from one authorised use to a materially different one - a planning event in its own right, and a common trigger for fresh fit-out and compliance work.

A formal request asking the planning authority to declare whether something is 'development', and whether it is 'exempted development'.

A statutory building-control notice served before works begin - the clearest public signal a permission is going to site.

Ireland's national planning body - the successor to An Bord Pleanála - deciding planning appeals, Strategic Infrastructure and the State's biggest consents.

An appeal to Ireland's national planning body (formerly An Bord Pleanála) that can confirm, change or overturn a local authority's planning decision.

The mechanical, electrical and HVAC building-services scope of a project - heating, ventilation, power, plumbing and controls - usually one of the largest trade packages.

Planning and commencement records for electric-vehicle charge points - car parks, forecourts, apartment blocks and depots installing EV chargers.

The builder appointed to deliver a project - named on the statutory commencement register - and the party that buys the trade packages and materials.

The point in a build programme when a given trade package is likely to be procured - measured relative to the commencement date and the expected completion.

A live read of which main contractors are on site now - a job commenced but not yet completed - and therefore actively buying subcontract and supply packages.

An estimate of when a granted-but-not-yet-started scheme will break ground, from the typical gap between grant and commencement.

The interior work that turns a base building into usable space - split into CAT A landlord base-build and CAT B tenant-specific fit-out.

Building offsite in a factory - volumetric modules or panels - then assembling on site, part of the broader shift to modern methods of construction.

The end-use industry a project serves - pharma, data centre, healthcare, education, logistics, residential - which shapes who the buyers and specialist suppliers are.

How a residential scheme is owned and occupied - build-to-rent, student accommodation, social and Part V, or private sale - which shapes its client, standard and programme.

Buildings that have filed a Fire Safety Certificate or Disability Access Certificate and now carry a lifelong duty to keep those fire and access provisions maintained.

Building work that provides or upgrades accessible access - ramps, lifts, accessible sanitary facilities and other Part M provisions for people with disabilities.

A residential site with fossil-fuel heating that is a candidate for a heat pump, insulation and other SEAI-supported energy upgrades.

The State's suite of home-energy-upgrade grants, administered by SEAI - covering insulation, heat pumps, solar PV, BER assessments and the bundled One Stop Shop deep-retrofit route.

SEAI's bundled deep-retrofit service - a registered provider manages the whole job, from assessment to contractor to grant paperwork, and deducts the grant upfront.

SEAI's fully-funded energy-upgrade scheme for homeowners on qualifying welfare payments - insulation, heating and ventilation works at no cost to the homeowner.

The improvement in a home's Building Energy Rating from energy-efficiency works - and the resale-value premium that tends to follow it.

A whole-house energy upgrade - insulation, heating, windows and ventilation together - aimed at jumping several BER bands in one project, typically to a post-works BER of B.

A stalled application that has just answered a request for further information - a sign the project has momentum again and is heading back toward a decision.

A single 0-100 ranking that combines how imminent a project is with how lucrative it looks, so the most time-critical, valuable work rises to the top.

A 0-100 read on how buildable a site is, drawn from signals like zoning, the Residential Zoned Land Tax, and solar and geothermal potential.