Portlaoise hospital seeks planning permission for coffee dock
The planning application relates to a pre-existing coffee dock on the hospital grounds
A planning application has been submitted for the retention of a coffee dock on the grounds of the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise.
The HSE lodged the application with Laois County Council for the coffee dock and outdoor seating area which are already located on the north side of the hospital campus and beside the emergency vehicle entrance off the Dublin Road.
This application is for the retention of a single-storey prefabricated coffee dock unit and a paved outdoor seating area all beneath a metal canopy structure.
The coffee dock is adjacent to the original gate lodge and satellite single-storey buildings which are now used for plant and storage areas by the hospital. The gate lodge is listed as a Protected Structure, as is the main hospital building.
The main hospital building and gate lodge were constructed in 1936, with the mortuary block to the northwest constructed in 1940, followed by the nurses home in 1959.
The hospital has seen major upgrades in recent times, as the €17 million extension to the Adult and Paediatric Emergency Department was officially opened on Friday, May 22 by the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
The HSE states in their application that no additional accommodation is proposed to be provided as part of the application and so no additional parking has been planned.
They said that this is an important feature of the hospital campus which now has around 1,000 staff, as “the coffee dock provides customer conveniences and hot beverages.”
Laois County Council are due to make their decision on the application by July 28, 2026.
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