Just over 200 apartments have been completed in Tipperary since 2011

Just 26 apartments were built in Tipperary last year.

That is according to the New Dwelling Completion data set, which measures the number of homes completed each quarter.

The figures for quarter four of 2023 were released this week, completing the set for 2023.

The data set shows that 517 new homes were completed in Tipperary in 2023. Of those, 141 homes were completed in the final part of the year.

Fifty-seven were single builds, 77 were part of a scheme, and seven were apartments.

Data source: Central Statistics Office - New Dwelling Completions 2011-2023. Table: NDQ06.

Tipperarylive reached out to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ask why the number of apartments built in Tipperary is so low and if they intend to address the issue.

The department said that apartments tend to be built in cities and that in those large urban areas like Dublin did see an increase last year.

“The number of apartments completed nationwide in 2023 was 11,642, up 28% from 2022.

Typically, apartment development is located in the cities, and the most recent data from the CSO shows that this remains the case with 9,081 apartments completed in Dublin in 2023, representing more than three-quarters (78%) of apartment completions nationally,” said a spokesperson for the department.

The spokesperson also said that it is not up to them what homes are built.

“The decisions regarding the type of homes to be constructed are in the first instance, decided by builders when designing their schemes and then by seeking approval from Tipperary County Council who consider the suitability for all proposed developments in relation to needs of the area concerned.

“This is obviously guided by and subject to the planning process in accordance with the development plan for Tipperary.

“Tipperary County Council has responsibility for the type of social housing constructed,” said the spokesperson.

So, does it matter?

According to the Tipperary County Development Plan 2022-2028, County Housing Strategy the low rate of apartment and flat building is due to the county’s rurality.

The report says 95% of homes in Tipperary are houses and bungalows, while 3.5% are flats and apartments.

The council expects that a changing population trends will mean more people need smaller homes.

The county plans says:

“Furthermore, forthcoming unit sizes and types will need to adjust to reflect both a mix of design and space for one and two person households, which will increase to almost 60% of the entire number of households in the County by 2028.

“Apartments alone may not offer the best answer to this, but rather a balanced mix of different unit types that can support changing tenure arrangements and also life-cycle of occupants (there is an existing high proportion of first and second decile households aged over 65 years who may benefit from downsizing or smarter designed homes for example).”

It concludes that there is a need for smaller units to accommodate households of one to two people.

But that most homes currently being built are to accommodate three to four people, which they said is “at odd with the stated need for smaller units.”

Local Electoral Area

Regardless of size there is a great need for new homes across the county. And despite the lack of diverse property types, there is some cause for celebration.

According to CSO’s New Dwelling Completion data set for 2023, all local electoral areas saw an increase in new completions compared to 2022.

The Cashel-Tipperary Local Electoral Area had the highest number of completions at 108.

Thurles had 92, followed by Newport with 61, Nenagh with 59 and Clonmel with 58. The lowest number of builds were in the Roscrea-Templemore, with just 39.

Next was Cahir with 48 and Carrick-on-Suir with 51.

Quarter by Quarter

Quarter four saw the highest number of completions at 141, followed by quarter three with 140.

Quarter two had the lowest with 117, followed by quarter one with 119.