Public office to remain open despite construction at Portlaoise Garda Station

Gardai will operate a front office at Portlaoise Garda Station while the new Laois Offaly Kildare Garda Headquarters is being built. 

Garda Superintendent Eamon Curley confirmed a small number of staff would remain on site to assist people while the building is ongoing. 

Minister of State Sean Fleming raised the issue of the new station at the latest meeting of Laois Joint Policing Committee.  

“I have seen reports from public representatives in other counties querying the Divisional Headquarters upgrade in Portlaoise. I would like confirmation that that is fully on track and will not be diverted by comments from public representatives in other counties,” he said. 

Minister Fleming was referring to comments from Kildare TD Catherine Murphy who questioned the logic behind having the headquarters in Laois, with a population of 91,000, when Kildare had a population of 250,000. 

Garda Superintendent Eamon Curley said: “Remedial works are underway. Anyone passing by can see that. Those works are being done to facilitate the upgrading of the station and there is currently ongoing works as regards providing us with suitable accommodation in the interim. 

Minister Fleming asked Supt Curley for the location of the garda staff during the building. 

Supt Curley said the IDA ground on the Mountrath Road is the preferred location for the temporary site for staff.

“It is not a complete removal of staff from the current building. The current building will still have a front facing public office. We are just putting plans in place to facilitate that but the bulk of the staff will be removed during the building and construction of it,” he explained. 

Fianna Fail Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said the UN Veterans had a base alongside the Defence Forces at the station. She asked what plans had been made for them  

“We want to make sure they are looked after,” she said. 

Minister Fleming said there was work underway to relocate the Defence Forces to a base closer to Portlaoise Prison. He suggested they might be able to accommodate them at that location. 

https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/local-news/1230262/n80-portlaoise-to-mountmellick-road-works-to-take-three-weeks.html

Deputy Brian Stanley said he had raised the issue with the Department of Justice, the Department of Defence and the OPW. 

“The OPW came up with a proposal that as part of the development adjacent the Midlands Prison, that the base for the permanent Defence Forces… that the UN Veterans be accommodated on the site,” he said. 

He said he hoped that the proposal will be agreed and that the Defence Forces would accommodate the veterans.