RIP Laura Buckley Noonan
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Smiths Field site as viewed from College Avenue. Image: Google Maps
Laois County Council is to borrow €475,000 to buy two housing sites in Mountmellick, with the plan to build up to 36 new social homes.
The sites include half of Smiths Field which is owned by the Catholic church, and another on Lord Edward Street where a partially built house has stood incomplete for many years.
The first site has a history of anti-social behaviour. It had once housed the town's playground, which later had to be moved to Irishtown after it was repeatedly vandalised.
It will be bought for €250,000 to build houses and create public amenities.
"This site is a greenfield site located on Smiths Field, Mountmellick, Co. Laois. The site extends to C.9.88 Acres, this land is to the east of Kirwan Park, Mountmellick, Co. Laois. 1.97 acres of this land is zoned residential and 7.91 acres is zoned open space.
"Currently no active planning permission on this site but there is a requirement to develop and implement a masterplan which will give the potential for up to 26 housing units, 2 MUGA pitches, car parking, playground and walkway on the site for the benefit of residents in the general area."
Nearby, the Lord Edward Street site will be bought for €225,000.
"This site is a brownfield site located on Lord Edward Street, Mountmellick, Co. Laois with an unfinished residential unit to the front and C.0.5 Acres to the rear this land fronts onto the Lord Edward Street, Mountmellick, Co. Laois. and is zoned partially residential / partially enterprise and employment.
"The economic land has been vacant for a long period of time. The land is surrounded by residential amenity. Currently no active planning permission on this site but potential for up to 8-10 units."
The decision to borrow was approved by councillors at the October 21 council meeting.
Cllr Paddy Bracken welcomes the purchases.
"Thank you for negotiating the site in Smiths Field. It's a lovely place to walk. When it is done it will enhance the area, with community spaces.
There is already €350,000 granted for work the soccer club is doing. The site will be properly lit with a new footbridge connecting to Conor Davis Park. It will be accessible and safe.
"It's good news for Mountmellick," he said.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
