A total of 1,212 new housing units were started in the first four months of 2012, figures from the Construction Industry show today.
This is down 31% or 539 units from the same time in 2011 when work began on 1,751 new projects, according to the CIF's housing statistics bulletin.
The figures show that of the new units started, 1,022 were single units and represented 84% of the total activity.
For the 12 months up to April, 3,826 new units were started. This compares with 5,787 units the same time the previous year - a 34% year on year fall
The CIF also gives a breakdown of the housing units which were completed in the first five months of 2012. Between January and May of this year, 3,283 housing units were finished, a drop of 26% on the 4,443 completed the same time last year.
Of the units finished, 62% were individual houses, 25% were scheme units and 12.8% were apartments.
A total of 10,480 housing units were completed last year. The CIF has predicted that between 7,500 and 8,000 units will be built this year.
The CIF figures show that at 161 Dublin had the highest number of new building starts in the first four months of the year, followed by Cork at 142 and Galway at 88. Just 10 new starts were seen in Leitrim, with 13 in Carlow and 14 in Longford.
National Construction Index shows big regional differences
The latest National Construction Index shows that planning applications were down 19% in the first half of 2012 compared to the same time last year.
The index is published by consultants Link2Plans.
But three counties - Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim - recorded marginal increases in the number of planning applications.
The index tracks activity in the residential sector - north and south of the border - based on commencement notices and planning applications.
Commencement notices are the paperwork builders file prior to the start of building as distinct from planning applications which can lay dormant for years.
Commencement notices fell by 7% from the last index, but three counties - Westmeath, Cork and Cavan - saw increases.
Link2Plans said that despite the slowdown in applications, a total of 10,287 individual residential projects applied for planning permission in the first six months of the year.
However, the survey noted dramatic regional variations in construction activity. It said that the counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan combined have three times more construction activity - per head of population - than Dublin.
It also noted that Munster, Connacht and Northern Ireland had about twice the activity per head of population than Dublin.
''There is still a huge number of housing construction projects taking place, albeit those projects are on average smaller than in previous years,'' commented Link2Plans's managing director Danny O'Shea.
