Laois pub to become Chinese takeaway with apartments

A long standing Laois pub will never see pints pulled again, with plans to turn it into a Chinese takeaway restaurant with three apartments overhead.

The vacant Mountmellick pub is the subject of a new planning application lodged with Laois County Council.

The three storey stone walled premises on 11 Patrick Street had a long history of being a pub.

It was sold last year in an online auction for €161,000 to the applicants who own Chen's Doremi restaurant in the town. 

Applicants Weijing Pan & Jianyan Lin now seek permission to carry out development at their purchased property.

"This premises has been vacant since April 2019 or before with no work or caretaking carried out on the façade or property in general. The applicants purchased the premises in May 2024 while seeing its potential in the centre of town to reopen and bring life back to the building.

"The applicants are not proposing to live in the apartments themselves, their intention is to rent them out which will provide additional housing in the town center," their application states.

The takeway and restaurant will be open from 4.30pm to 11.30pm seven days a week, with six people employed. 

They say that it is adjacent to a protected structure (Record of Protected Structures Reference Number RSP023).

The development will consist of change of use from public house to restaurant with take-away and re-development of the two existing apartments at first floor and second floor to offer 2 one-bedroom apartments and 1 two bedroom apartment.

The applicant's current restaurant in Mountmellick. 

"The applicant currently runs a Chinese take away and pizza establishment at a rented accommodation at 37 Parnell St. Mountmellick R32E521. This business has grown over the years rates and rent has diminished the profit margins. These premises came to be available at an auction and the applicant was successful in purchasing the same. His premises at Parnell St., will remain in operation until after the opening of his new premises when it will be refurbished into Town Center cafe

and restaurant.

"This proposal sits on Patrick St. (Main St.,) where there are multiple mixed-use and residential developments including a secondary school. The hours of operation listed below clearly show that this unit will not be opened during school hours therefore the take-away element will have no bearing on school going children," the planning application says. 

It also says that the change of use will lessen the pub's demand for on-street parking, with apartment residents encouraged not to own cars, with a bicycle shelter supplied.

"This proposal is a regeneration project for Mountmellick town centre. Site restrictions mean we can’t provide any additional parking to this area," the application states. 

A decision is due before Christmas 2024.