Laois County Council grants permission for 217-home scheme at Maryborough Portlaoise, Co. Laois

In context

It is one of 55 housing scheme applications Laois County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 1,568 nationally. Of the 3,037 such applications decided by councils in the past three years, 79% were granted.

What happens next

The applicant, or anyone who made a submission on the application, can appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála within four weeks of 22 May 2026. If no appeal is lodged, the council’s decision stands and a final grant issues.

The development description, as lodged

Verbatim from the Laois County Council register. This is the source for every figure in the story above.

carry out development which will consist of: A proposed residential and commercial development on a brownfield site of 4.96 hectares to include the construction of 217 no. single to four storey residential units; 2 No. mixed use three storey commercial buildings to accommodate a creche, ground floor retail units, restaurant, and office space; a new roads layout with two new vehicular entrances off Harpur’s Lane and Mountrath Road; a dedicated pedestrian and cycle link traversing the site between the two road entrances; a DMURS compliant raised platform junction at the vehicular entrance onto Harpur’s Lane and a courtesy type pedestrian crossing further to the west on Harpur’s Lane; an additional service exit onto Mountrath Road adjacent to the proposed mixed use commercial building; associated footpaths, traffic calming, carparking, street lighting, paving, landscaping with integrated children’s playground, drainage, bin storage, and bicycle storage throughout the development; free standing ESB substations; a connection to the existing public services; and all associated ancillary site development works.The proposed development will involve the demolition of: 3 no. former fuel islands; 1 no. former fuel offloading area; the removal of underground fuel tanks and associate underground pipework; and the foundations of the former shopping centre. The proposed 217 no. residential units to consist of 74 houses and 141 apartments (including duplexes) along with 2 no. assisted living units as follows: (a) 9 no. semi-detached 2 storey 4 bed townhouses; (b) 37 no. semi-detached and terraced 2 and 3 storey 3 bed townhouses; (c) 18 no. semi-detached and terraced 2 storey 2 bed townhouses; (d) 10 no. detached and semi-detached 2 bed single storey lifetime homes; (e) 2 no. detached single storey 5 bed assisted living units with in house carer accommodation; and (f) 29 no. 1 bed, 61 no. 2 bed, and 51 no. 3 bed own door apartments and duplex apartments in three and four storey blocks. The proposed 2 no. mixed use 3 storey commercial buildings to consist of: (1) a 416.6sq.m creche over two floors to accommodate 61 children and support staff with dedicated playground with separate 359.8sq.m office space and ancillary accommodation to first and second floors with separate entrance at ground level; and (2) a separate 2,208.9sq.m 3 storey commercial building with public plaza facing onto Mountrath Street consisting of 511.5sq.m of ground floor retail space, a 311.5sq.m res