Laois Offaly 'growth' town set to surge beyond 10,000 population after huge growth

Laois and Offaly county councils are planning to match services with a huge and rapid population growth in Portarlington that looks set to continue.

The growth of the border town is revealed in the Draft Portarlington Joint Local Area Plan 2025–2031 which was out for public consultation toward the end of 2024.

Figures compiled for the plan show that the town's population has grown phenomenally to nearly 9,300 according to the most recent Census which shows that the town has grown at more than double the rate at which the population of Laois has risen.

"Census 2022 has revealed that an upward trajectory in population growth is continuing," said the draft plan.

The councils say Laois has experienced "dramatic population growth" in the past two decades, growing by 56% over the twenty-year period between 2002 and 2022. Offaly's population grew by 30% in the same period. However, Portarlington has grown at a far faster rate.

"Overall, the population of Portarlington has more than doubled between 2002 and 2022. This represents a 132% increase in the population of the town," said the draft.

Most of the growth has been on the Laois side of the town. The Census says 7,182 resided in built-up areas on the Laois side in 2022. 

The councils expect more growth and have planned for housing with more than 1,200 more people to be living in the town by the end of 2027.

The Laois County Development Plan 2021-2027 identifies a projected population increase for Portarlington by 2027 of 1,000 people and an associated housing allocation of 400 units. Laois planners say the figure represents 10% of the projected housing target for Co Laois to Portarlington.

They say 268 units need to be built over the life of the local area Plan but as 300 have been built since 2021, the total need by 2031 is 368. A total of 14.52 hectares of land in and around the Laois side of the town has been zoned for housing to meet this need.

The Core Strategy Table of the Offaly County Development Plan indicates a population increase for its functional area in Port of 207 people and an associated housing allocation of 140 units, by 2027. The housing unit target on the Offaly side by 2031 is 180. Just 52 homes have been built on the Offaly side since 2021.

Both councils say greenfield sites have been identified which are suitable for new high-quality residential developments.

While the council's have housing targets, they have also acknowledged Irish Water concerns that there are constraints on the water supply and limits to the waste water situation which will require investment and changes.

The Eastern & Midland Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) says Portarlington is a designated Key Service Centre within the region. The town is identified as a 'Self-sustaining Growth Town' in both the Laois and Offaly County Development Plans which run to 2027.

Self Sustaining towns are defined as ‘settlements that act as regionally important local drivers providing a range of functions
for their resident population and their surrounding catchments including housing, local employment, services, retail and leisure opportunities’.

Laois and Offaly councils say Portarlington therefore performs an "important retail, residential, service and amenity function for its population and for its local rural hinterlands".

The the councils say their Draft Joint Plan sets out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of Portarlington, in the context of the Laois County Development Plan 2021-2027, the Offaly County Development Plan 2021-2027 and the Eastern and Midland Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2019-2031.