Court Services in Laois asked to back plan to move parking from Courthouse at Portlaoise Main Street

A business group has asked the Courts Service to back plans to remove prison vans, garda cars and crowds from outside the courthouse on the Main Street in Portlaoise. 

Downtown Portlaoise business group wrote to the manager of Portlaoise Courthouse asking for support for their proposal to move the congestion outside the courthouse to Church Street.     

“We feel Portlaoise has developed so much in the last few years. Thanks to the huge amount of work by LCC(Laois County Council), an Garda Síochána, Portlaoise Tidy Towns and Downtown Portlaoise all working together, the safety, visual appearance and cleanliness of our Town has improved a lot,” Downtown Portlaoise explained in the letter in March. 

“We feel that a plan needs to be designed for the parking arrangement of all Gardaí and prison vans plus cars on the days the court is sitting. Perhaps Church Street could be marked out with bollards on the days of the court, where the vans and cars could be parked. They are causing a big obstruction on the footpaths for the disabled and able bodied pedestrians to navigate the street, especially at a time when we are encouraging not just the public to shop on Main Street, but also new businesses to open and take up the incentives offered by LCC for current empty units.

Alongside this, a plan also needs to be agreed, to prevent loitering outside the Courthouse on the day of the court. People hanging around the steps can be very intimidating to passers-by, again not just locals shopping or going about their daily chores, but the many visitors to our Town,” the business owners wrote in the letter which was released to the Leinster Express under a Freedom of Information request.

Regional Manager of the Courts Service Susan Cahill replied to Downtown Portlaoise a a week later. 

“Regarding the proposal for the placement of bollards and parking concerns on Main Street in  Portlaoise, it's important to note that the management of Main Street falls under the jurisdiction of  Laois County Council. Consequently, it would not be within the remit of the Courts Service to  implement such measures there. However, we are open to collaborating with Laois County Council  should they seek our involvement in this matter,” she stated. 

“I agree that Portlaoise Courthouse is a busy public building who deal with three areas of business civil, family and criminal across two jurisdictions and I do accept the court lists can be busy and can  generate large volume of people at times. However, we are obliged to provide access to justice and  unfortunately that does on occasion mean large numbers attending outside courthouses, creating an  overflow,” said Ms Cahill.   

“On a positive note, I can confirm that the Courts Service has acquired a site for the construction of a  new Courthouse, and Portlaoise Courthouse is on the National Development Plan. This signifies our  proactive approach to addressing infrastructure needs, and we await the availability of funding to advance this project,” she said. 

According to the Courts Service, the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021 – 2030 contains Courthouse development projects to be completed during the period of the plan in Galway City, Wicklow Town, Portlaoise, Tralee, Roscommon, Naas, Bray, Navan, Swords, Tallaght and Dun Laoghaire.

The Courts Service says it is currently in discussions with the Department of Justice regarding the funding that can be made available for the remainder of its NDP projects over the period 2025 to 2030.