Green light for new houses beside Portlaoise Hospital

An Coimisiún Pleanála has given the green light to a housing development beside Portlaoise Hospital. 

Portlaoise Service Station Ltd had been granted planning permission to build six two storey townhouses on the brownfield site at the junction of the Block Road and Dublin Road in Portlaoise. 

A service station formerly operated on the site between 1966 until 2006. Since it was demolished, the site has had plans and objections but no construction. 

Laois County Council approved the plan for six two storey townhouses subject to 17 conditions in March of this year after the developer altered the design for the estate which will be accessed via the Block Road roundabout. 

The development got the approval of councillors for a material contravention of the Portlaoise Local Area Plan, because the site had been zoned for General Business and not Residential.

A local resident, George Percy, who lives in the Fielbrook estate appealed the planning approval to An Coimisiún Pleanála. 

He said the proposed two-storey houses would create an overlooking and a privacy issue and he requested a shadow survey. He expressed concern about security, rubbish and vermin arising from the boundary gap which would be created by the development and he also expressed concern about potential flooding. 

However, a Planner for An Coimisiún Pleanála stated that the concerns could be addressed and the plan should be granted. 

The Planner stated that “the proposed development would constitute an acceptable residential density in this urban location, would be acceptable in terms of layout, height, scale and design, would provide a suitable level of amenity for future residents, would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity, would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience, would be served by adequate parking and environmental services, and would comply with the provisions of the development plan”. 

An Coimisiún Pleanála decided to grant planning permission subject to 16 conditions on July 22, 2025. The conditions included the construction of a two metre boundary wall and the use of opaque glass on all first floor bathroom windows.