Construction workers have started to remove scaffolding from the front to the former Presentation Convent building in Portlaoise to reveal the significant progress being made at the housing development in the heart of the Laois town.
The removal of the steel skeleton has revealed a gold-coloured render on the building on Church Avenue in Portlaoise that is part of a €26 m housing development in the building and surrounding property.
Sash windows in keeping with the building's vernacular have also been revealed in the project that's been developed by Edenderry company Bretland.
Progress is also notable on the new buildings with windows being installed in a new apartment block being constructed on the site of Portlaoise's former parish church beside the convent.
The Sophia Housing project is being developed in partnership with Laois County Council with Government support.
The three-storey over basement convent, built in 1824 to accompany a 460-year-old tower, has sat disused for over two decades.
The project will see the provision of 52 homes to people who may not otherwise have had an opportunity to avail of accommodation.
It is being built on land that was part of an acre plot of land that was put up for sale in 2016 at a cost of at €2.5m, jointly by the Portlaoise Parish and the Presentation Sisters. The Convent and Sacred Heart school was later sold separately for the housing project.
The school was vacated in 2017 when it was amalgamated with other town schools to become part of the new Holy Family parish schools. The Convent building has been unused for decades.
Inflation has caused the cost of the new housing project to spiral. The original bill was put at €10 million when it was announced in 2018.
It is hoped that the new homes will be completed by the start of 2026.
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