Laois planning sought for new daycare and creche in Portarlington
Childcare business to serve 146 new houses coming to Dublin commuter town
A new daycare and creche is planned in a Laois housing estate under construction in Portarlington.
The purpose built property with outdoor play and gardening area, is proposed to be built in the Bishopswood residential development of 97 houses, currently under construction.
Applicant Kevin O'Rourke has lodged an application with Laois County Council, seeking permission for a "new two storey creche and daycare centre, including outdoor play area, set down and parking areas, landscaping and boundary treatments, ancillary site services and all associated site works" in Bishopswood Road, Droughill, Portarlington, Co. Laois.
The housing development site is the subject of a current planning application which includes an increase to the size of the creche reservation area and a new internal road adjacent to the creche site.
Next door to the site, there is a separate planning application for 49 residential units.
The application notes that there are a number of existing childcare facilities operating in Portarlington.
"This proposed facility will provided additional childcare capacity for this growing town generally, but it is envisaged that much of the demand for services and future intake for this facility will come from the immediate residential development and its environs," a design statement says.
The centre will offer full and part-time day care, after-school services and sessional services.
The design will accommodate all children, to include all abilities, all individual needs or disabilities.
The building will be to an A-rated energy standard with a heatpump and solar panels. The design will have "an emphasis on promoting children’s development".
An outdoor area will have a playground with climbing equipment, swing and slide, a garden for planting and growing and an area for outdoor play and exploration, inside 2 metre fencing.
The application was received on May 9 and the planning decision is due by July 7 2025.