More car parking spaces to be created on busy Portlaoise street

In welcome news for local businesses and shoppers, more car parking spaces will be created on Portlaoise's busy Main Street. 

Councillor Tommy Mulligan raised the motion at the December meeting of the Portlaoise MD that Laois County Council remove the set down area outside the former O'Loughlin’s Hotel on Main Street and replace it with car parking spaces.

The Independent councillor said that he has spoken with local businesses on Main Street and they are in favour of the car parking spaces.

The Town Hotel, formerly known as O’Loughlin’s Hotel, had been housing Ukrainian refugees from 2022 up until July 2024 when its contract ended with the Department of Children, Equality, Integration, Disability and Youth.

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Before that, the building was owned by the O'Loughlin family and ran as the O’Loughlin’s Hotel since 1995. 

The set down area had originally served the hotel. Now that it's vacant, Cllr Mulligan said: "It's ineffective in its current state and serves no purpose."

He argued that it could allow for the creation of two new car parking spaces on the street.

Laois County Council confirmed that Portlaoise MD Office will remove the set down area markings outside the former hotel and revert the space to a parking space.

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