Laois County Councillors have given their support for a private housing development on the site of an old filling station in Portlaoise.
Planning permission has been applied for by Portlaoise Service Station Ltd – the company behind Downey’s Centra close by – for six two-storey townhouses on the Dublin Road in Portlaoise.
The site opposite the Midland Regional Hospital and has been vacant for almost 20 years and was previously a long-standing service station, going back to the 1960s.
Planning has previously been applied for a medical centre and, on two occasions, a new service station.
Permission was refused on both occasions while the plans for the medical centre weren’t proceeded with as no anchor tenant could be found.
The site has been zoned as ‘General Business’ under the Laois County Development Plan meaning that councillors were required to give their backing for a contravention of that plan.
In a report put to the councillors by council planning staff, it accepted that it was in contravention of zoning but that it was “reasonable” to propose a change.
“The proposed development … would not negatively impact on the zoning objective for the wider area,” according to the report and “the development will provide additional dwellings within the designated boundaries of Portlaoise where there is a demand for same”.
Laois County Councillors voted unanomously at Monday’s full council meeting to support the development.
