The average duration required to build a home in Ireland from initial planning application to completion has doubled over the past decade to four years, according to the Central Bank of Ireland's latest Quarterly Bulletin released on Wednesday.

According to analysis in the report, homes completed in 2026 took between 44 and 50 months to deliver from the date planning permission was lodged, compared to a median duration of 21 to 26 months in 2016. One-off houses and apartment developments now take roughly two-and-a-half times longer to complete than they did in 2017, while scheme housing takes nearly twice as long.

The regulator highlighted lengthening local authority approval times as a key factor in the delays. The proportion of non-appealed planning applications for schemes and apartments taking longer than four months for a council decision rose from approximately 20 per cent in 2017 to 56 per cent in 2026, with median decision times extending to around 4.5 months.

Owing to prolonged building timelines and broader infrastructure constraints, the Central Bank revised downwards its near-term completion projections. The bank now forecasts 39,500 new housing completions in 2026, followed by 41,000 in 2027 and 45,000 in 2028. The report noted that homes delivered over the next two to three years will overwhelmingly depend on projects already in the development pipeline.

While noting that residential construction output has expanded significantly in recent years—with annual completions more than doubling between 2017 and 2025—the Central Bank warned that future increases remain contingent on structural improvements. It called for the prompt implementation of planning reforms, sector productivity gains, and faster rollout of critical water and energy infrastructure to accelerate delivery.