Planning permission in Wicklow
Wicklow County Council decides planning applications in Wicklow. Search every Wicklow planning application, see recent decisions and notices, and check what to expect before you apply. This page brings Wicklow County Council planning data together in one place: applications, decisions, approval rates and local rules.
Withdrawn and invalid applications are left out.
Decided in the last 5 years. Bars show applications received each year.
Half of decisions come sooner when no extra information is asked for. The legal limit is 8 weeks.
Of decided applications, the council asked for more before deciding.
Of decided applications, appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Recent Wicklow planning decisions
The latest granted and refused applications decided by Wicklow County Council. Wording is trimmed and never includes applicant names.
Wicklow planning applications per year
Planning applications received each year, with the share that were granted. The coloured part of each bar is the share granted. The outlined bar is the year so far.
| Year | Received | Granted |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,402 | 88% |
| 2022 | 1,314 | 82% |
| 2023 | 1,355 | 85% |
| 2024 | 1,254 | 83% |
| 2025 | 1,349 | 86% |
| 2026 (so far) | 1,119 | 89% |
Wicklow planning approval rates by project type
How often each kind of project was granted in Wicklow over the last 5 years, compared with the whole of Ireland.
Projects are grouped automatically from each application's description, so a few fit more than one type. The marker on each bar is the rate for Ireland. Types with fewer than 30 decisions are left out.
How Wicklow compares with other councils
Wicklow ranked against all 31 planning authorities, using the last 5 years of decisions. Each strip is one council, and the highlighted one is Wicklow.
Best on the left, rank 1 first. Councils with fewer than 100 decisions are left out. Some councils publish data in different ways, so small gaps are not meaningful.
How long does planning permission in Wicklow take?
A planning application in Wicklow, week by week, using real Wicklow decisions.
Lodging your Wicklow planning application
The application goes in with your plans, fee and notices. The site notice goes up and the clock starts.
Neighbours can comment on your application
Anyone can make a submission in the first five weeks. Most applications draw none, but a strong objection can slow things down.
Further information requests
40 in 100 decided Wicklow applications got a request for further information. If yours does, the clock pauses until you reply.
The Wicklow planning decision
Half of Wicklow decisions without a request for more information come by week 7. With a request for more information, the middle case takes about 18 weeks. 85 in 100 decided applications are granted.
Appealing a Wicklow planning decision
You or anyone who commented has four weeks to appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála. 8.0 in 100 decided Wicklow applications went to appeal.
Starting work after permission is granted
Permission lasts five years. For permissions granted in Wicklow over the last 5 years, 37 in 100 have a commencement notice on record.
Check your Wicklow site before you apply
The pre-planning report covers zoning, protected structures, ground conditions and every application near your address, with the decisions.
Local planning restrictions in Wicklow
Nature areas, historic buildings and monuments that can limit or shape a project in Wicklow. The figures come from national public datasets.
- Nature areas: check
- Historic buildings: surveyed
- Monuments: recorded
- Flood risk: check floodinfo.ie
Sites inside Wicklow, including proposed ones. Largest: Wicklow Mountains, Wicklow Mountains.
Buildings in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. A survey is not the same as legal protection.
Sites recorded by the National Monuments Service, from ringforts to old quarries.
What this can mean for your project
Projects that could affect a Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area may need an appropriate assessment. This can apply even if you are outside the site.
If your home is on the Record of Protected Structures, or in an architectural conservation area, many works that are normally exempt need permission. You can ask the council for a declaration under section 57.
Applications close to a recorded monument can be referred to the National Monuments Service, which can add time and conditions.
The council may ask for a flood risk assessment in flood-prone areas. Check the official flood maps on floodinfo.ie.
Wicklow County Council policies to know
The council facilitates homes in the open countryside for people with a housing need based on a demonstrable functional social or economic need to live there. Housing need means a clear need for a new home, such as a first-time buyer, someone who lost a previous home through separation, divorce or repossession, or someone needing a purpose-built adapted home for a verified medical condition.
Source: Chapter 6, Policy CPO 6.41 and Table 6.3 Rural Housing PolicyEconomic need applies where your livelihood is intrinsically linked to the rural area and a home in the countryside is essential to it, for example a significant farm enterprise that needs a dwelling on the holding, or other full-time work that requires you to live in that rural area rather than a nearby settlement. If you are starting a new rural enterprise with no experience, it must have run legally and continuously for at least 5 years and be your main income. Businesses that are not location-dependent are not considered.
Source: Chapter 6, Table 6.3, Economic NeedSocial need covers permanent native residents of the rural area (born and reared there), former natives returning, a close relative who inherited a holding or site, a son or daughter of a landowner whose land has been in the family for at least 10 years, local applicants with an affordable local site, carers, and people with other strong local ties. In a conflict with other settlement and landscape rules, a person who qualifies under CPO 6.41 takes priority, except where the site would be a likely traffic or public health hazard.
Source: Chapter 6, Table 6.3, Social NeedFrom the Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 (as varied). See all the Wicklow development plan rules, by topic.
Is your site affected?
These figures cover the whole of Wicklow. Whether a restriction applies depends on exactly where your site is. The pre-planning report checks your address.
Sources: National Parks and Wildlife Service, National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Policy summaries checked 29 Oct 2026. Policy summaries are plain-English guides written from council plans. They may be incomplete or out of date, and where we are not sure we say so. They are not legal advice, so please double-check anything important with the council.
Map of recent Wicklow planning decisions
Click a dot to see the decision and open the full application.
Map of recent Wicklow decisions
Planning applications decided in the last 12 months. Orange is granted, grey is refused.
Towns and areas in Wicklow
Places with the most applications in the last 5 years.
Planning a project in Wicklow?
Check whether you need permission before you spend anything.
Common questions about Wicklow planning
How do I apply for planning permission in Wicklow?
You apply to Wicklow County Council. You need the completed form, a site notice, a newspaper notice, your plans and the fee. The council must decide within eight weeks, unless it asks for more information.
Do I need planning permission in Wicklow?
Not always. Many small projects are exempt under SI 600/2001, for example some single-storey rear extensions up to 40 square metres, subject to conditions. Our free checker screens your project in a minute.
How long does a Wicklow planning decision take?
Half of decisions without a request for more information come by week 7. If the council asks for more information, the clock stops until you reply, so it takes longer.
Can I book a pre-planning meeting with Wicklow County Council?
Yes. Wicklow County Council offers free pre-planning consultations under Section 247 of the Planning and Development Act. Contact the planning department to book one before you lodge.
Applications received up to 21 Oct 2026. Sources: National Planning Application Database (DHLGH and local authorities), An Coimisiún Pleanála, National Building Control Office. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Sources and methodology.