WATCH: New 92 space carpark opens beside Portlaoise train station

Portlaoise commuters and visitors have a big new parking option open to them from Thursday morning, November 9 with the opening of a 92 space council owned facility right next to the train station. 

Laois County Council officials and councillors officially opened it on November 8 together with developers Ardain who also build the Goldencroft estate of 67 new A rated social houses for Clűid on the same site.  

Council CEO John Mulholland spoke at the opening.

"It was a great team effort. It's turned out to be a great project, we're delighted. It's onwards and upwards.

"It’s the culmination of four or five years of work. We were lucky that we had a good partner in Ardain Developments and we got Urban Regeneration Development funding to do it. The carpark will give people more choices and access to parking, and help people coming into the town as well," he said.

The Portlaoise Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald described years of campaigning to get more parking at the train station.

"This is a huge addition to Portlaoise, especially people who leave at the last minute to get a train. There were people being clamped in the old railway carpark. There was people driving to Portarlington because they couldn't get parking. So this is badly needed and I'm absolutely delighted," she said.

Cathaoirleach Cllr paschal McEvoy described the carpark as "absolutely fabulous".

"It's going to be a massive asset to the people of Laois," he said.

Meanwhile the new housing estate is nearing completion, and already has over 30 homes occupied, all people who were on the council's housing waiting list.

The spacious two and three bedroom A-rated homes range from bungalows to apartments in a four storey blocks overlooking the train tracks. Goldencroft shares its entrance with the carpark as well as having pedestrian access to Tower Hill.

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The vacant heritage house at the centre of the carpark will be developed in the next phase according to Ger O'Brien and Tom Musiol of Ardain Developments from Kildare.

"Options are being looked at for it. We were happy to be part of this development, it was a cooperative project between Laois County Council and Clúid. It has a big public realm element with the park at the front, bringing permeability to the Main Street and taking pressure off the housing list," Tom Musiol told the Leinster Express. 

The carpark will cost from €2 for 2 hours, to €30 for daily parkers, prepaid per month. With a focus on making Portlaoise low carbon, it has electric car charging, bike parking, bus pickup and taxi setdown zones.