More than 500 applications for retention permission have been submitted locally 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.
Roscommon County Council approved the most applications in the Shannonside region, at 146 followed by 66 in Leitrim.
Longford County Council approved the least number of applications at 29.
Overall, 18 were refused across the region, while 196 were withdrawn, deemed invalid, or still undecided.
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