Laois 'parklet' replaces two parking spaces in Portlaoise town centre
A miniature park is being installed this week on Portlaoise Main Street, to improve life for the public, but it is removing two parking spaces.
Laois County Council is installing its first “parklet” at the end of Main Street beside the Square Café.
The mini park will be filled with plants and seating, protected from the road by rustic timber fencing.
It is not just for that business’s customers, but will be for every pedestrian to enjoy, of all abilities, once it is completed this weekend.
A spokesperson confirmed details to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.
"Portlaoise Tidy Towns, in collaboration with the Climate Action Section of Laois County Council, is progressing the delivery of a new parklet in Portlaoise Town Centre, funded under the Dept of Climate, Energy and Environment's Community Climate Action Fund.
“A parklet is a small public amenity space created through the repurposing of on-street parking space to provide seating, planting and an enhanced pedestrian environment. The project is intended to support town centre vibrancy, accessibility, biodiversity and community wellbeing.
“The parklet will be located adjacent to Portlaoise Library and in front of the Square Café. Prior to selection of the location, Portlaoise Tidy Towns engaged with businesses in the immediate vicinity to ensure the proposal was carefully considered and appropriate for the area.
“The parklet has been custom designed and built specifically for this location and will incorporate seating, wheelchair access and pollinator-friendly planting, creating an attractive and inclusive public space for residents and visitors to enjoy.
“The project will also contribute positively to the streetscape and support the ongoing regeneration and enhancement of Portlaoise Town Centre,” the council spokesperson said.
The parklet is expected to be complete and available for use by the public by the weekend of June 6 and 7.
Two other Laois projects bankrolled by the Climate Action Fund were also recently installed.
A surface-level rain garden beside Lyster Square is filled with plants that like wet conditions and is designed to lessen and filter extreme weather rainfall entering the drainage system.
The new E-bike library in Portarlington is also funded under the scheme. Read about all the Laois Climate Action projects here.