1,805 dwellings approved on greenfield sites in 2023

Statistics on dwellings approved by the Planning Authority in 2023 show that 22% of all new dwellings approved were located on pockets of urban greenery, known as “greenfield sites,” down from 25% the previous year. According to the Planning Authority’s definition, greenfield sites consist of open plots of land in the development zone that have never been previously developed.

In 2023, the Planning Authority approved a total of 8,112 new dwellings, of which 1,805 were located in previously undeveloped plots of land. On the other hand, 6,307 dwellings were approved on brownfield sites i.e. sites which had already been built up.

These include pockets of land added to the development zone in 2006, as well as pockets of urban greenery that were only released for development in recent years. Although internal developments in urban enclaves are normally not allowed, development is often facilitated by the approval of roads that grant access to dwellings fronting them.

The percentage of dwellings approved on greenfield sites has decreased from 36% in 2012 to 22% in 2023. However, the actual number of dwellings on greenfield sites has increased from 1,110 in 2012 to 1,805 in 2023.

The highest number of dwellings approved on greenfield sites was recorded in 2019, when 3,535 dwellings were approved on vacant plots. These accounted for 28% of the 12,474 dwellings approved that year. In the past five years the percentage of dwellings approved in these pockets has hovered between 21% and 28%.

Only 1,815 of the dwellings approved in 2023 involved the conversion of existing building stock. In contrast, 4,061 were the result of redevelopment projects involving the demolition of existing buildings.

The number of ODZ dwellings approved in 2023, at just 86, was the lowest since 2015. However, these still represented 1% of approved new dwellings, the same proportion as in 2022 when 100 ODZ dwellings were approved.

The highest number of ODZ dwellings approved since 2007 was recorded in 2017, when 147 such dwellings were approved.

The statistics were recently published by the Planning Authority on its website.