'Disappointing' housing plan for derelict Portlaoise hotel falls asunder

The demolition countdown this summer is off for a derelict hotel in the centre of a Laois town.

The former county hotel on Main Street, Portlaoise was due to be knocked this summer and rebuilt as an apartment block giving 10 small urban homes to tenants of Laois County Council, in cooperation with the Clúid Housing Agency.

However the property project had now gone back to stage one, to ask the Government to approve it, after seven years of  planning for the boarded up, fire damaged property. 

Laois County Council gave a brief update to the Leinster Express / Laois Live this Friday, July 11.

""It has been decided that Laois County Council will lead out on this project rather than the project being delivered by an Approved Housing Body".

It declined to confirm how long the project has been set back, or why the plan has fallen back to "revised stage 1 to be submitted", in the council's June management report.

The Clúid agency also made a statement to the Leinster Express. 

"Clúid is no longer involved with this project. All queries regarding the County Hotel, Portlaoise, should be directed to the Housing Department of Laois County Council," it said.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley from Portlaoise Municipal District has expressed disappointment.

"Cluid housing has pulled out of the housing Development at the County Hotel Portlaoise. While it is very disappointing as we have waited a long time to see this site developed, I have been assured that Laois County Council will continue with the project itself," she said.

Last February councillors approved demolition of the former hotel, once a go-to dance hall for Portlaoise socialisers.

The Laois County Council CEO Michael Rainey had welcomed the progress at that time.

“This is a key regeneration project, I was involved in acquiring it in 2018. It has been an issue for a long number of years. To see it come to the stage of construction is fantastic," he had said.

The future plan and current state of the old county Hotel in Portlaoise.

It was planned to be replaced with a modern 4 storey apartment block. It is unconfirmed if those approved plans will now be scratched or can still be used.

The building facade has protected status but the site has no rear access so reconstructing behind the front wall would have required closing Main Street for a crane.

 See the plans here and read about the hotel's fascinating history

Read also: Plans lodged to turn former Portlaoise nursing home into childcare