Removal of Portlaoise creche plan refused by Laois County Council
Plan to drop creche in Portlaoise housing estate plan rejected by Laois planners
A developer of a large new Portlaoise housing estate has been refused permission to swap a planned creche for offices and a medical centre.
Laois County Council has decided that allowing the creche to be moved and built in a later stage elsewhere in the housing estate, “gives rise to a real risk that the development could proceed without any childcare provision”.
“This would undermine the creation of a balanced and sustainable community, would seriously injure the amenities of the area and is therefore considered contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area,” the planning report stated.
Creche places in Portlaoise are already at a premium as are school places, as the town continues to attract more residents with young families.
Bircrest Ltd is building the high end Sand Wood estate on the Stradbally Road.
It had applied for permission to remove an already approved planned creche from their plans.
They wanted to take it out of a ‘neighbourhood centre’ and reconfigure that planned building to add more business offices and a medical centre.
They had said that a creche would be built in another part of the housing estate, and it would be big enough to serve the whole Sand Wood estate, which eventually is to have 314 houses over four construction phases.
However the planners have refused permission, so the creche must go ahead.
Their reason the council gave was “loss of essential childcare facility” noting that the other creche’s planning permission lasts until 2031.
The council said that the creche they had approved had “formed an integral part of the overall development and was intended to provide essential childcare infrastructure for the residential population”.
“The replacement of this facility with retail use, in the absence of a constructed or operational alternative childcare facility, would result in a deficiency in social and community infrastructure. This is considered contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area and to the zoning objective for Residential 2 lands, which seeks to provide for residential services and community facilities.
“The applicant has indicated that a replacement crèche is to be delivered as part of a separate Phase 3 development. However, this facility is not yet constructed and is subject to a separate planning permission which is valid until 2031.
“No legally enforceable phasing or delivery mechanism has been demonstrated to ensure that the replacement childcare facility will be provided in a timely manner relative to the occupation of the Neighbourhood Centre and wider residential development.
“Accordingly, the proposed removal of the permitted crèche is considered premature”.
Bircrest has the option to appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála.