Laois ban on high rise apartments overturned by Minister

An attempt by Laois councillors to prevent any more of what they called “high rise” apartment blocks in the county, has been also overturned by the Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke this week.

Laois county councillors had added a clause to the new development plan for Laois for the next five years, that "developments should be no more than three storey on greenfield sites".

While Laois already has several four and five storey apartment buildings, such as Parkside and Stradbrook in Portlaoise, councillors voted in a new policy against any more, last January, into the draft development plan from 2022 to 2027.

Cllr Willie Aird and Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley were amongst those against anything over three storeys high.

"I know areas in Dublin with massive high rise flats and there are so many issues around them. We are dealing with people in two storeys and bungalows who are opposed to high rises looking in on them.

“You might get away with three or four of them but if we take our foot off the pedal we are looking at serious high rise developments,” Cllr Dwane Stanley had said when they voted in the amendment.

The ban is now rejected, as it contravenes national guidelines on compact growth of towns and efficient use of land.

The Laois County Council CEO had also recommended that their policy be deleted. CEO John Mulholland had said that the policy was not consistent with national planning policy.

He pointed to Urban Development and Building Height Guidelines which states that planners “should not provide for blanket numerical limitations on building height” and should instead support “increased building height and density in locations with good public transport accessibility”.

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Laois County Council has proposed building four and a five storey apartment blocks itself, on its 26 acre greenfield site at the Stradbally Road in Portlaoise. The blocks would face Stradbrook across the road, leaving much of the site for amenity usage.

Last June councillors told the council to go back to the drawing board, rejecting the taller apartment designs.

“How does it not come into your head that people in Portlaoise don't want five storey apartment buildings?,” Cllr Willie Aird said at that time.

The Minister's draft direction will shortly go on public consulation to gather submissions. The council CEO must then send a report on any submissions that come in, before it goes back to the Minister for approval.