Flood concern at derelict Laois shopping centre site

An "eyesore" derelict development site in Portlaoise is now creating flood concerns for the Laois county town.

The site of the demolished Centrepoint shopping centre on the Mountrath Road was raised yet again as a concern, at the September meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District.

Cllr Paddy Buggy tabled a motion to ask Laois County Council to engage with the owners about a "subsiding" drain.

"This is an unusual situation, there is a open drain that is currently subsiding. It is crucial to take surface water in that part of Portlaoise away. We could end up with flooding if it's not maintained or piped away. 

"Our weather has changed, when it rains we get a week's rain in a shower. We need drains to take away that excessive surface water. The last thing we want to see is flooding in Portlaoise," Cllr Buggy said.

Cllr Barry Walsh seconded his Fine Gael colleague on the issue.

"I believe the owners are engaging with the council about possibly developing the site so I hope they will action this," he said.

At last July's meeting Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley labelled the large derelict and vacant site as an "eyesore". It was heard that the site owners are under a deadline to apply for permission to develop it.  Read that story here.

At the latest meeting, she raised another concern affecting Centrepoint's neighbouring residents.

"There is work to be done on boundaries as well, on shrubbery and overgrown trees that are encroaching on people's properties," Cllr Dwane Stanley said.

Laois County Council say that the owners of the Centrepoint site are engaging with planners ahead of submitting an application to build a large number of houses on it.

Read also: Hopes in Portlaoise to replace 132 jobs at doomed cheese factory

The site is listed as an "opportunity site" in the Laois County Development Plan and Portlaoise Local Area Plan for several years. It opens onto the the Mountrath Road at one end, and to Harpur’s Lane at the other.

The 2.31 hectare site is incurring fines on Laois County Council's Derelict Sites list. It is also liable for Residential Zoned Land Tax, designed to end the practice by landowners of sitting on undeveloped housing land.

Last year a Laois enterprise hub owner revealed a local group's plan to use the Centrepoint site for a 40,000 sq ft mixed-use development to include retail, offices, a digital innovation and agriculture technology training space.