Cost to be revised to turn derelict Laois hotel into apartments

A stalled plan to turn a derelict Laois hotel on Portlaoise Main Street into social housing apartments is to have its cost revised with new detailed designs to be finalised.

The delay to convert the County Hotel into housing is a "disgrace" a local councillor has said.

The County Hotel was bought up in 2018 by Laois County Council, after a long effort to buy it from the absent owner. The aim was to end the ugly derelict sight on the Main Street, as well as offer small 10 apartments for single people and small families on the housing waiting list, in conjunction with the Clúid housing body.

However, five years on it still waits, albeit with a mural to distract from its derelict state. Delays are being blamed on the protected architectural status of its facade as well as there being no rear access to the site, making construction nearly impossible.  A detailed update was given at the May council meeting, in reply to a motion by Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald. 

She said it is a lesson on what not to do.

"It is a disgrace. There is a huge lesson in this for us buying protected structures, making it difficult to progress. There's hoops to jump through. Any other volunteer housing organisation could move quicker. The Fr McVerry Trust moves quicker in other counties.

"This is a prime site left for the past four years. There is no evidence of anything really going to happen. We had major consultants look at it, I don't know how long this is going to take," she said.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley agreed.

"I don't know how many surveys and inspections have been done at this stage. Clúid came to speak to us a year and a half ago. this is dragging on forever," she said.

In reply, Trevor Hennessy from the housing section said there are "significant challenges" and a new cost is to be revealed.

"Site investigation and building condition surveys are being carried out on site. Once complete Clúid can confirm their revised cost plan and detailed design. The surveys carried out so far have outlined some significant challenges in relation to the protected front facade which will be taken into account for the finalisation of the costs plan.

"A section 57 planning report for the site has also been finalised and an agreement has been reached on which buildings on site can be demolished. It is expected that the revised cost and detailed design will be completed in Q3 (July to September)."

In PICTURES: Laois Old Fort Festival storms into life in Portlaoise

The building, which now features a mural by based on the legend of Fionn growing up in Ballyfin, was once the go-to destination for dances where many a romance led to marriages.  It shut down nearly 30 years ago. Fire gutted it several times since, most recently in 2015 with the roof having to be smashed in by fire crews to douse the flames. 

The council had requested a removal of the County Hotel from the Protected Structures list.

The council has had to invest public money into protecting the public from falling debris, firstly with a scaffolded walkway, and when that brought complaints from a neighbouring trader, it was replaced by a protective structure along the roof edge.