Housing Minister set for Laois visit to open 100 badly needed new homes

Laois County Council welcomes the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to Laois to open 100 new houses at four housing developments.

The council says Minister Darragh O'Brien will officially open developments in Ballylinan, Portlaoise, Ballyroan and Durrow.

His first stop will be the 21 Houses at Doirin Alainn Housing Development Ballylinan on the east of the county. This is a North and East Housing Development delivered in three phases by JJ Wall Construction Ltd.

A further 10 houses will be open at Gleann na Glaise Housing Development in Ballyroan. This is a Laois County Council  Social Housing Capital Investment Programme project (SHIP). The SHIP programme funds construction of new build units directly managed by councils, known as Direct Builds.

The Ballyroan project is made up of ten three-bed two storey homes.

Minister O'Brien will then visit Durrow to open 22 houses. This is also a SHIP project that incules: ten two-bedroom two storey houses, eight three-bedroom, two-storey units and four two-bedroom one storey homes.

His last stop will be in Portlaoise where he will open 55 homes at big The Maltings and Roselawn residential Development in Portlaoise.

This is a Cluid Residential voluntary housing body development comprising of 55 residential units made up of 40 two-bedroom apartments and 15 three-bedroom houses.

"Think about the economic impact if thousands of commuters" worked in Laois

The Minister will be accompanied on his visit on Monday, May 15 by Laois County Council's Chief Executive John as well as staff from the council's housing section and county councillors from all parties including the Cathaoirleach Cllr Thomasina Connell and Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley Chair of Housing Strategic Policy Committee.

The Minister saw for himself some of the work being done in Laois in 2022 when he visited the county with officials and some councillors from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.