Nearly 70 houses could finally finish Celtic Tiger building project in Laois
Laois County Council will decide on the Portarlington
The construction of nearly 70 houses in Portarlington will complete a development project in the Laois Offaly town more than two decades after planning was first lodged.
Kingscroft Developments Ltd has put Laois County Council on notice that it intends to apply for permission for a residential development comprising 67 dwellings of 2-3 storeys in height on a just over 3-hectare site in the townland of Cooltederry on the Laois side of the town.
The builders say the proposed development will fully complete the unfinished Castlelea / Gandon / Landsdowne Estates granted previously in a 2003 decision.
The builders say that the new homes will include:
- 6 two-bedroom terrace homes,
- 23 three-bedroom terrace houses,
- 18 three-bedroom semi-detached dwellings,
- 2 detached homes,
- 16 four-bedroom semi-detached dwellings,
- 2 four-bedroom detached houses
Kingscroft say the project will include parking, boundary treatments, open spaces, landscaping, roads, pedestrian walkways and all other ancillary and associated site development.
Kingscroft has had a long engagement with the local authority, public representatives and residents over the completion of existing public infrastructure in the already-built estates.
As recently as April 2024 Sinn Féin's Cllr Aidan Mullins said the Lansdowne estate had only half its lights working and manholes are protruding from the road surface.
He tabled a motion calling on the Council to commence the taking of the estate.
In a written response, Evelyn Brownrigg, from the Council’s Planning Department said: “To date we have not received a formal request from Kingscroft Developers to have this estate taken in charge as there are remaining phases to be constructed under Planning application 18 / 422. Once we have a request from either the developer or a plebiscite of owners within the estate relating to a completed phase of development, we can then initiate proceedings to commence the process.”
Cllr Mullins said the bond would have lapsed years ago.