Public to have say on big revamp plans for Laois town square

A public information evening is being held in Rathdowney to get the views of residents and businesses on the plans to revamp the town square. The square, which has remained relatively unchanged over the last 100 years, is set to get a facelift as part of a public realm improvement project.

The public is getting the chance to view the drawings of the proposed new pedestrianised plaza in the Parochial Hall  on Tuesday, December 16 from 5.30pm to 7pm.

The regeneration plans are inspired by the Town Centre First Plan plan for Rathdowney and are supported by Rathdowney Town Team and Laois County Council's Town Regeneration Section.

The proposed plaza is set to be the biggest change to Rathdowney's square in the last century.

At the bottom of the square, from Unique Hair studio to Kirwan and Bain's solicitors, a new plaza featuring a permanent canopy structure, a casual trading stand and public seating will replace the car parking area.

Pictured: A new plaza will be created from Unique Hair studio to Ossory street

Ten parking spots will remain in front of the former Bank of Ireland, with one disabled parking space. Concrete footpaths at the end of the square will be removed and replaced, and hard and soft landscaping will be introduced, featuring native plants that promote biodiversity in the area.

Pictured: The plans for Rathdowney's town square.

Ossory Street will remain accessible to vehicles, along with an access point to Supervalu through the square.

The canopy structure will be similar to one in Dublin's Fairview Park, which will allow for public performances, markets and gatherings to take place. Bollards will be erected surrounding the new plaza.

To allow for the creation of this plaza, available parking spaces in the square will be reduced.

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Rathdowney Fine Gael Cllr John King welcomed the creation of this plaza, highlighting that the works will retain some of the original parking spaces, along with the introduction of a new amenity for the town.

"These works are shovel ready, and it will be a great thing for the town," he told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

Pictured: plans for the proposed plaza area

"We want to make the square a place people will want to spend their time, not to just park their car for the day. We want to create a nice ambience with more seating, while keeping the existing amount of parking. We want Rathdowney to be a friendly place for all," Cllr King explained.

"We used to have markets and meetings in the square, it is now used as a car park. People aren't always in favour of change, but we need a recreational area in the town, somewhere for people to meet and relax, and watch the world go by," he said.

This project is being carried out by Laois County Council’s area office in collaboration with the town's Regeneration Team. 

Rathdowney's Town First Plan was published in 2023, which detailed the widening of footpaths, the introduction of more streetlighting, increased landscaping areas, traffic calming measures, and the reduction of vacant properties in the town.

Two electric vehicle charging points were also installed in the square in November of 2024.

August saw the town's main street close for five weeks to allow for the replacement of road and the installation of footpaths. The town was previously granted €213,000 in funding to allow for these works.

Simultaneously, Rathdowney's playground is undergoing major renovations. Read more here.