'Limited' topsoil dumping in Laois causing 'crisis' in housing construction

The shortage of sites to legally take construction topsoil in Laois could hold up the building of new social houses.

Environmental restrictions on the disposal of topsoil is causing a "crisis" in the Laois housing market, a Fine Gael councillor has claimed.

Cllr Willie Aird has asked Laois County Council to help a developer to clear a "huge mound of clay" from the construction site of the new Millers Crest estate in Rockview, Portlaoise, visible from homes in Ashton Manor and from the public road.

The soil was partially removed after it was described as "a mountain" last November by Fianna Fáil Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald when she tabled a motion on it to Portlaoise Municipal District.

Back then, Cllr Aird raised concern for the safety of children he said were playing on it. The soil was to be removed by December 2023, the developer had told Laois County Council at that time.

The mounds of soil on the Millers Crossing site, seen from Fr Brown Avenue. Photo: Leinster Express.

Five months on, Cllr Aird tabled his own motion to the April district meeting.

"There is progress, and I thank the council for putting their shoulder to the wheel, but that huge mound of clay has to all be removed. Houses being built there are for social tenants, we don't want them to be held up. I can't believe the amount of topsoil there. The biggest crisis is sites available to take this. We're running out of space.

"There will probably be four or five times more from the Dunamase School site. We don't have room. There is only one place. If it wasn't for John Mulholland (council CEO) and Simon Walton (council director of services) to intervene there would be serious trouble to remove this. At least there is progress," Cllr Aird said.

He criticised environmental restrictions set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"Rules and regulations are obviously set by people not involved in the building industry. The EPA seem to be a law unto themselves. You must have a place in your own county to dispose topsoil," he said.

Cllr Fitzgerald was critical of the developer, Quantum Homes, for not sourcing a site for disposal.

"It should fall on the developer. They know where they are buying their blocks, they should know where they are bringing their soil. They should know how they are going to comply with what is a planning condition," she said.

Mr Walton confirmed to her that removal of the soil is one of the planning conditions, as is writing up a wast management plan with the help of the council.

"At the moment they are building against a mountain of clay. We are liaising with parties to remove it to allow further construction. The council wants to see housing delivery continue. We met the developer and reviewed their processes and suggested changes and they took that on baord. We will support their efforts to remove it to an authorised facility. We've made progress. The question is where you take it. Hopefully there will be a satisfactory outcome in the next couple of weeks," the director said. 

Mr Walton confirmed to the Leinster Express / Laois Live that there are several locations to take construction soil and stone in Laois, but with limits.

"Some have limited capacity and others have annual tonnage limits. Having regard to the scale of the house building programme throughout the county, available capacity for re-use and/or disposal of soil and stone surpluses, from those developments, is limited," he said.