'Shocking' dumping on idle housing land in Portlaoise town

Shopping trolleys, furniture, mattresses and carpets are lying dumped in a highly visible Portlaoise field that was supposed to have 34 new social houses for local tenants.

Doran's Field on the Mountmellick road is at the centre of a five year stalemate between its owner and Laois County Council. The council planned to buy the field and build an extension to O'Moore Place, adding much needed new houses while eliminating the dumping opportunity. However negotiations to buy it have so far failed. 

Instead the housing plan sat as a future aim on their monthly housing update.

Last July the council said that a CPO was "very much a reality" for the site. However in recent months the housing plan has disappeared altogether from their report. 

"Shocking" is how Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley describes the field next to O'Moore Place on the N80 Mountmellick Road, speaking to the Leinster Express / Laois Live this week. 

"This field is the bane of the area. It is a rat run too, to Bruach na hAbhainn estate. The council is picking up the bill of anti-social behaviour and illegally dumped rubbish. The owner was forced to do a massive cleanup a year ago but a month later there was more rubbish dumped.  The fines are minimum. Housing is the only thing that will bring it to an end."

She is hopeful that the new CEO of Laois County Council can finish what he started as housing officer five years ago.

Michael Rainey oversaw the demolition of six houses in O'Moore Place and widening of the road to make space for emergency vehicles to turn, and to make an entrance to the field, all costing the taxpayer €400,000.

Aerial view of Doran's field with the Mountmellick road to the east, and O'Moore Place to the north. Image: Google Maps.

Cllr Dwane Stanley has long requested that Doran's field be bought by Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to get the houses built.

"I don't believe there was any great appetite for CPOs before Michael Rainey returned. Not a whole lot happened in five years. I have no doubt that the pressure will come on now," she said.

"I want to see the whole regeneration of this area. The O'Moore Place residents association started up again last year, and the new allotments are fantastic. The council has spent up to €80,000 doing deep energy retrofits of each of their houses. But this field is the big issue," she said.