Written answers
Thursday, 27 November 2025
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
Planning Issues
Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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351. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the latest guidelines in relation to planning permission extension of duration under section 42 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66774/25]
John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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There are no specific Guidelines in relation to extensions of duration of planning permissions under section 42 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Act of 2000). My Department issues Circular Letters when legislation is amended. Section 42 of the Act of 2000 was amended in July this year.
Circular Letter No. PLR 02/2025 issued on 5 August 2025 and outlined the recent changes to section 42 of the Act of 2000 introduced by way of section 28 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2025 (Act of 2025) and the Planning and Development (Extension of Duration – Planning and Development Act 2000) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 378/2025).
Section 28 of the Act of 2025 inserts new provisions into section 42 of the Act of 2000 allowing for extensions of duration of uncommenced permissions for development of one or more houses.
Under new subsection (1A) of section 42, where such a permission has not commenced within its appropriate period, a planning authority shall extend the appropriate period by such additional period (not exceeding 3 years) as the planning authority considers necessary to enable the development concerned to be completed. This is subject to the application being made—
- before, but not earlier than 2 years before, the expiry of the permission, and
- not later than 6 months after the commencement of section 28 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2025 (i.e. from 1 August 2025).
An extension of the appropriate period under subsection (1A) ceases to have effect if the development is not commenced within 18 months of section 28 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2025 coming into operation (i.e. from 1 August 2025).
A person who avails of an extension under this new subsection (1A) for un-commenced housing development cannot subsequently seek a further extension under subsection (1) (which applies to commenced development with substantial works carried out). Subsection (4A) allows for housing development permissions already extended under subsection (1A) to be further extended by an additional period as the planning authority considers requisite to enable the development concerned to be completed, provided that—
- an application is made before, but not earlier than 2 years before, the expiry of the permission, and
- the planning authority is satisfied that –
- development was commenced before the expiry of that permission’s appropriate period,
- substantial works were carried during that period, and
- the development will be completed within a reasonable time.
Circular PLR 02/2025 is available at the following link:
The Act of 2025 and S.I. No. 378/2025 are available on the Irish Statute Book at the following links:
- Act of 2025: ().
- SI No. 378/2025: ).
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