Over 2,000 new Laois homes needed for rapidly expanding Portlaoise

Another 2,000 homes are needed by 2030 in Portlaoise to meet the town’s growth.

However no extra rezoning of agricultural land is needed, say Laois County Council, as more high density houses will be built on lands already zoned.

The 2024-2027 draft Portlaoise Local Area Plan, is out on public consultation.

“The aim of the Draft LAP is to capitalise on Portlaoise’s excellent location on the motorway and rail networks and proximity to the Greater Dublin Area,” it states.

It notes that Portlaoise is a Key Town in the National Planning Framework, the Eastern & Midland Regional Spatial and the Laois County Development Plan.

“It is anticipated that Portlaoise will attract social, administrative functions and economic activity and will act as a significant focus for future population growth”.

It lists vacant landbanks in the town centre that could have housing by 2027.

These include the convent site on Church Avenue, the former Tyrrells land on the Stradbally road, the Centrepoint site on the Mountrath Road, and land on the Timahoe Road beside the site for Dunamase College.

The plan describes how Portlaoise “virtually doubled in size” from 2002 to 2022, from 12,100 to 23,500.
It says Portlaoise will keep growing rapidly, rising another 20% by 2027, to 26,400 people. Laois is expected to grow at a lower rate of 12% to 94,700.

By 2030, Portlaoise will need 2,039 more homes, based on a density of 35 homes per hectare.
There are 383 hectares zoned as Residential only, and another 171 hectares that allow for housing.

“The land requirement to accommodate 2,039 units in Portlaoise by target year 2030 is 58 hectares. The remaining lands zoned in the County Development plan 2021-2027 … provides sufficient zoning to accommodate these requirements”.
It is a big change from the County Development Plan 2021-2027 which identified a need for 64.2 more hectares for homes in Portlaoise.

That plan was partly based on a lower density of homes in ‘mixed use lands’ of under 25 homes per hectare.

“There has been much activity in the residential sector in Portlaoise in recent times, notwithstanding the challenges initially caused by the Covid pandemic and more recently by the significant spike in building costs. Since the plan was adopted in 2022, approximately 550 units have been completed,” the draft plan states.

There is permission granted for 1,688 houses and apartments in Portlaoise.

However about a quarter, 421 are not yet started.
Another 259 are being appealed to An Bord Pleanála. Work has begun on 383 more and 625 are finished or almost completed.

The council says “a significant portion” is for social housing.

Housing is just one category in the plan for the future of Portlaoise.

It lists “opportunity growth sites” as being Lyster Square, the Portlaoise Courthouse, and the former parish owned land behind the convent at Millview.

More link roads and walking routes are planned. They include a Northern Orbital Route and internal relief roads between The Dublin Road and Borris Road, between Rathleague and Meelick, and betweenThe Stradbally Road [N80] and Dublin Road through St. Fintan’s Hospital land.

Lands zoned are broken down into General business 36.5 ha, Enterprise and employment 125.2 ha and Industry 5.17 ha.

The planning zoning map of Portlaoise.

The draft plan also sets out targets for biodiversity, climate action and built heritage.

It says that water and sewage infrastructure has the capacity for growth.

On sports facilities, there is no mention of a new indoor sports arena, repeatedly requested by local sports clubs including the Panthers basketballers who marched on St Patrick’s Day about it.

Instead the plan states a general policy to “facilitate the development of new and expansion of existing active and passive recreation, leisure and play facilities to cater for all society”.

The draft plan is on display for feedback up to May 17, on www.consult.laois.ie and in Portlaoise library and county hall, with information days on April 18 and 25.