Make a Planning Application

You may consult with Cork City Council before making a planning application. More detailed information on how to go about pre-application consultations is available here.

Please note, all documentation submitted with planning application forms part of the application and will be available for the public to view in both the hard copy and electronic online version on the Cork City Council website. You are therefore advised to exercise caution in submitting details or documentation with your planning application that you may not wish to be made publicly available.

In order to make a valid planning application you must submit:

• Completed Planning Application Form
• Correct Planning Application Fee
• Copy of Site Notice and Newspaper Notice
• Site location map 
• All required drawing, plans, particulars and information

It is important to submit all the plans and information required by law with your planning application. Failure to do so will likely result in your planning application being declared invalid and returned to you.Planning applications are accepted at the public from 10.00 A.M. to 4.00 P.M. Mondays to Fridays (except Bank Holidays) inclusive of lunch hour, and by post.

At some stage before 2020 it will be possible to submit planning applications electrically via a web-based portal. More details will be available on this website closer to the time.

If you are proposing a complex or large-scale development and aren’t familiar with the planning system, you may wish to request a pre-application consultation and employ a professional agent.

Most applicants employ a professional ‘agent’ (for example an architect, planner or engineer) to prepare and submit their planning application for them. Alternatively, you may employ an agent to prepare your planning application for you and submit the application yourself

Once a planning application is received it is examined to ensure that it is complete and compliant with the requirements of planning legislation. If everything is in order, the planning application will be validated. Where an application is not complete, it will be declared invalid and returned to the applicant.

The first step in the process is to publish a newspaper notice and erect a site notice.

Within 2 weeks the planning application must be submitted.

The planning application process usually takes 8 weeks following the receipt of a valid planning application.

In the first 5 weeks of the process submission and observations may be received and Cork City Council begins its assessment of the planning application.

Between weeks 5 and 8 Cork City Council concludes its assessment of the planning application, taking into account any submissions and observations received, and issues notice of its decision on the planning application.

Following the final grant by Cork City Council or a grant of planning permission by An Bord Pleanála, you have to comply with any planning conditions attached to your permission.

Some conditions require you to agree matters of details with Cork City Council before you carry out the development for which you have received planning permission. These conditions must be agreed in writing with Cork City Council before you start work on your development. Failure to do so could result in Planning Enforcement action against you.

Cork City Council strives to respond to planning compliance submissions within 8 weeks of receipt. Your planning compliance submission should be emailed to planningcompliance@corkcity.ie. For big maps you may submit a hard copy to:

   Development Management Planning Section, Cork City Council, City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork. T12 T997  

You are also required to comply with any other legislation and code (other than matters covered by planning law); for example, you may be required to submit a Commencement Notice or you may require a Fire Safety Certificate before starting works on your development.

If the decision of Cork City Council is to refuse permission, you may appeal this decision to An Bord Pleanála. If you do not appeal the decision, or you have received a decision to refuse planning permission from An Bord Pleanála, and you still intend to apply for planning permission to carry out a development, you should contact Cork City Council for a pre-application consultation. Please note that you will be required to amend your proposed development accordingly, in order to overcome, at least, the issues raised in the stated reason(s) for refusal from Cork City Council or An Bord Pleanála.

Please note that applications for the Extension of Duration of Planning Permissions (under section 42 of the Planning and Development Act 2000) are subject to new provisions in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2021 (effective 9th September 2021).  The circular letter detailing these changes can be viewed here.

A grant of full planning permission normally lasts 5 years from the date of the grant. You must complete your development within this period. It may be possible to extend the duration of your permission.

Cork City Council try to ensure that the naming of streets and spaces in the city and the naming of residential and commercial areas in major development areas (such as the docklands) reflect local Cork and Irish place names. 

The naming of residential developments must be agreed in writing with Cork City Council in order to avoid confusion with regard to similar names in the city. Agreement on naming should be reached prior to the launching of any advertising campaign for a development.

Nameplates of an approved type shall be provided on all estate roads and all houses shall be provided with numbers which are legible from the adjoining road way. All estate road and street name plates shall be provided in bilingual format (Irish / English). Local heritage will be promoted by the use of local place-names or geographical historical or cultural names in the naming of new residential developments.