Flood waters from Portlaoise public housing land 'like River Nore' on road

Housing land owned by Laois County Council in Portlaoise is causing flood problems for neighbours, a councillor claims.

Fields that lie behind bungalows on the Abbeyleix Road earmarked for development as social housing, have been left unmanaged for many years.

This January, Cllr Willie Aird has highlighted that water is flowing off the lands, into adjoining properties and onto footpaths and the busy N77 route.

"I have asked the council to look at this serious situation. Water is coming out six foot across the main Abbeyleix road. The footpath is completely covered with it. People are walking out on the road to go around it. 

"It is over 20 years since Laois County Council bought this land. Respond are going to do houses, but it is still the responsibility of Laois County Council.

"There is not one thing done. The water is coming out like the River Nore. Whatever has happened, all the drains are blocked. It's going into two or three gardens as well. It's very dangerous. I don't want to hear anything about Respond, somebody has to go in," he said.

Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald seconded his motion, tabled to the January meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District that calls on the council to "address the serious situation" of "huge volumes of water" on the path, road and adjoining properties.

"Locals say the land is neglected all that time. It needs to be maintained. It's like a vacant property, vacant land is going to cause a problem. Drains are blocked. It's like the derelict houses and derelict sites. It was very dangerous the other night," she said.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley supports the request for drainage.

"The key is to get it addressed before work starts. We don't want the same situation as on the Mountrath Road. I'd have that site inspected before work starts. Up to Christmas there were still problems with the Mountrath Road site," she said.

In reponse to the motion, area engineer Wes Wilkinson said that the Portlaoise MD office is "liaising with the housing association to access the lands, examine the issue with a view to carrying out works in the short term to alleviate the drainage issue".

The planning application for the housing has a chequered history.

In 2016 the council approved a planning appliction from the Respond housing body to build 39 social homes, including 15 apartments and 24 houses, mostly designed for full accessibility.

It was approved despite local objections in 2016, but then it was later rejected by An Bord Pleanala following an appeal by some residents. At that time the site had been dezoned as residential use.

It was re-zoned as 'Residential 2' in 2018.

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In 2019, the council applied to An Bord Pleanala to ask if the plan for 39 homes requires an Environmental Impact Assessment, and APB said it does not. Their inspector described the site at that time as "overgrown and unkempt".

Its current status according to Laois Council Council's housing department is an update is awaited from Respond early this year on the project, including on a review of CALF funding issues by the Department of Housing, and a date on when the project is likely to start construction.