More than 370 retention permission applications submitted locally

More than 370 applications for retention permission have been submitted in the last two years.
An investigation by the Irish Independent on the "build first, ask for permission later" culture revealed more than half of all retention applications lodged since January 2024 have been approved by local authorities across the country.

Cavan County Council approved the most applications in the region, at 117, while 98 were approved in Monaghan.
Overall, 25 were refused across the two counties, with 135 applications withdrawn, deemed invalid, or still undecided.