Green light for 45 houses in Laois

Laois County Council has given the green light for the construction of 45 new homes in Portlaoise. 

The five, four and three bedroom houses are to be built on a 2.14 hectare site at Summerhill in Portlaoise. 

Bircrest Limited applied for permission to build the houses last September. The council approved those plans, subject to 22 conditions on January 27, 2024.

It’s the first of two large development plans submitted by Bircrest Limited on lands at Summerhill in Portlaoise. 

Debbie O’Reilly, who has an address in Summerhill Lane, Portlaoise, submitted an Independent Environmental Impact Assessment report. 

She recorded 116 different types of wildflowers at the site and said some of these are “incredibly rare” and she said there is also evidence of foxes, badgers, rabbits and hares on the land. 

Ms O’Reilly accepted that her objections to the plans would likely fail but she asked that stipulations be included to protect surrounding trees and hedges at the site. 

Following her submission, the developers engaged with Ms O’Reilly and agreed to amend the landscaping plans to include an Ecological Zone and a pond area.

According to the plans, the houses will require a new link road connecting to O’Devoy(O'Deevy) Roundabout.  

“The development will consist of the provision of 45 No. residential dwellings comprising: 1 No. detached dwelling (three-storey 5-bed); 2 No. semi-detached corner dwellings (two-storey 4-bed); 18 No. semi-detached dwellings (two-storey 4-bed); 20 No. edge house t-shape dwellings (two-storey 4-bed); and 4 No. semi-dwellings (two-storey 3-bed). The development will also include: a new Link Road through the site, providing vehicular entrance/exit via O’Devoy (O’Deevy) roundabout; ancillary car parking spaces; public open space,” the plans state. 

Laois County Council’s planner noted Bicrest Limited has a second larger application on adjoining lands for which includes a two storey “neighbourhood centre” and 57 houses. 

According to that planning application, a decision on those plans was expected to be made at the end of January. However, no decision has yet  been published by the council in relation to the plans on the 2.98 hectare site.

“The development will consist of: a 2 No. storey Neighbourhood Centre (1,484 sq m) principally comprising a retail unit 361 sq m), a creche (289 sq m), refuse storage (23 sq m) and cycle storage (65 sq m) at ground floor level and office floorspace (746 sq m) at ground and first floor level;” the application states. 

It also includes “the provision of 57 No. houses (comprising of: 5 No. detached dwellings (three-storey 5-bed); 3 No. semi-detached corner dwellings (two-storey 4-bed); 29 No. semi-detached dwellings (two-storey 4-bed); 20 No. edge house t-shape dwellings (two-storey 4-bed); and 5 No. 3 No. storey duplexes comprising 5 No. 2-bed units and 5 No. 3-bed units. The development will also include: a new Link Road through the site, providing vehicular entrance/exit to the site via O’Devoy (O’Deevy) roundabout” 

“Should both permissions be granted Phase 1 of site 1A will be carried out in conjunction with Phase 1 of Site 1B and Phase 2 of Site 1A will be carried out in conjunction of Phase 4 of Site 1B,” the planner stated. 

A planning decision was expected to be made on the second development plans on January 27.