Laois town takes steps towards Town Centre First plan to revitalise area

Abbeyleix is currently undergoing a 'health check' in the hopes that the area will be revitalised under the Town Centre First policy.

This health check is a project which appraises all the town's assets with the aim of supporting a Town Centre First plan down the line.

The Town Centre First plan will then serve as a basis for future developments in Abbeyleix as well as aid the Town Team and Laois County Council in securing funding for the proposals included within in it to rejuvenate the area.

In an update from Laois County Council, they said that for the past couple of months the Regeneration Section has been working alongside South East Technological University (SETU) Carlow Campus and Abbeyleix Tidy Towns on developing a health check for the town. 

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In a post on social media, Laois County Council said that surveys and walkability audits are among some of the tasks being done as part of the health check which is currently underway by students from SETU Carlow.

Laois County Council said: "We look forward to working with the community and SETU in the publication of a Health Check for Abbeyleix."

The projects identified in the Town Centre First plans will be carried out over a number of years.

Mountmellick published their Town Centre First plan in November 2025 following a year and a half of planning and public consultations.

The plan identified 28 projects which included a trail head for a cycleway to the Slieve Bloom Mountains and a greenway to Portlaoise.

Rathdowney published their Town Centre First plan in 2023 and Ballylinan had their health check completed last April.

At the December meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick MD, Town Regeneration Officer, Denise Rainey, said that the Town Centre First policy is quite broad and can include villages. The policy defines a town as anywhere with a population over 500 people.

She emphasised that as well as working with areas for Town Centre First plans, they also work with community groups on specific projects.

Rainey emphasised that if there's a community group that's willing to set themselves up as a Town Team and engage with the Town Regeneration team, then specific projects can be looked at.

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