€50,000 'no -brainer' land swap for new housing in Laois town

Laois councillors have approved a cashless land swap to get council houses into Portarlington. 

While one councillor strongly objected to the land swap, all others approved the move by Laois County Council, which affects a land bank off Bracklone Street.

The council will now swap the ownership of an access lane with their .35acre plot of land, with the landowner named as John Early.

It will give them access to lands they own to build housing.

"A swap would be a fair result and good business," the council assessment proposed, saying that each piece was worth the same sum, of €50,000.

Cllr PJ Kelly proposed the swap, seconded by Cllr Aidan Mullins.

"This is a no-brainer to open up a piece of land, it's a good deal by the council," Cllr Kelly said.

"If we don't agree it will be pushed a year down the line. In the overall scheme .35 acres is a good deal for the council, I am delighted to see this go through. I don't think an argument holds up," Cllr Mullins said.

That argument had come from Cllr Aisling Moran, who said the council should have used a Compulsory Purchase Order on the lane, and kept their plot to build houses.

"There is already an entrance in. Now the council will have access from both sides. You'd fit six houses on that plot. The man has double what he had before. You're handing away something. There's a housing emergency. You don't need the whole roadway. To give away any piece of land you could house six families on is mental," Cllr Moran had said.

Director of Services for Housing Angela McEvoy gave the council's reasons for the deal.

Green light for festival as thousands set to descend on Laois Village

"This site has complex legal history. The exchange was agreed in 2010. It can facilitate up to 15 units. This landbank is very important for delivery of housing in Portarlington. We had already purchased landbanks to the rear of numbers 5 and 6, this adds numbers 1 to 4 Bracklone Street. This matter is ongoing since we acquired these sites in 2001. We have reached a reasonable agreement to swap the land for the benefit of accessing our land. 

"The first question when we seek a CPO is 'have you tried to reach a reasonable agreement', and we have," Ms McEvoy said.

The land is being swapped at a nominal fee of €1 to the owner, who must however pay their own legal fees.