IN PICTURES: The big orange reveal on Portlaoise Main Street
A landmark Portlaoise building that Laois County Council wants to turn into social housing has been given a fresh look ahead of a longer term plan for the project.
Painters have worked through the week on the former County Hotel on Main Street.
The process has seen the painting over of the the C'mon the Town mural that was a homage to Portlaoise GAA. Orange paint now covers the green and white colours and the mural.
The plan to turn the derelict former hotel into social housing apartments has been stalled because its status as a protected structure would make the project too expensive and force a year long closure of Main Street
The cost to turn the former County Hotel into 10 new small apartments for single people and small families on the council's housing list, is estimated at between €3.3million to €7million.
A crane would need to be brought onto Main Street to lift all the building materials over the front facade of the derelict hotel, which has a smashed roof and windows and has again been freshly boarded up.
The site, which only has a narrow rear pedestrian entrance, was planned by Clúid and Laois County Council to provide eight single bedroom apartments and a pair of two bedroom apartments.
The council is now going to request that the building be removed from the Record of Protected Structures, so it can be knocked and replaced.