Worrying trend in apartment construction in Louth

Latest data released today by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage shows that construction began on just 13 apartments in the whole of Louth since the beginning of last year, the equivalent of less than one a month.

The latest commencement data from the Department, shows that in February, work began on 26 new homes in Louth. Of this, seven were one off units, and 19 were scheme houses - houses that form part of a multi-unit development.

The February figure is down from 98 in January, but up from five in February 2025. Work began on 427 new homes in total in 2025, down from 3,196 the previous year and the lowest number of homes on which work began in Louth since 2016.

November 2025 was the last month commencement began on apartments in Louth, when five new units were commenced. The only other month this year, or last year, where work began on apartment construction in Louth was June 2025, when work began on eight units.

Nationally, work began on 3,423 new homes in February, up from 2,016 in January. It is up from 1,031 in February of last year. Combined with January’s figures, 5,469 new homes have commenced since the start of the year, up from 2,214 units commenced during the same period in 2025.

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Of the 3,423 new homes, 327 were one off houses, 1,760 were scheme houses, and 1,336 were apartments.

Commenting on the national figures, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, said: “These are strong figures, and it’s an important marker of momentum in housing delivery as a result of recent changes and a certainty around our housing policy and the market to build in.

“These strong commencements figures complement the uplift across all indicators across planning permissions, housing completions and social housing delivery - it reflects the real and sustained progress being made across the housing sector.

“Under our new Housing Action Plan, 'Delivering Homes, Building Communities', I have been determined to use every lever available to maximise delivery.

"This will require increased public delivery of social and affordable housing, but also a serious increase in private sector home building. Today's numbers suggest we are on the right track.”