Laois Councillor Proposes Multipurpose Community Hall

Councillor Tommy Mulligan feels one could be built next to Portlaoise Leisure Centre.

"There were more sports facilities available in Portlaoise thirty years ago with a population a third of what it is now!"

According to Councillor Tommy Mulligan, who is urging Laois County Council to build a multipurpose community hall at the Moneyballytyrrell site, beside the Leisure Centre in Portlaoise. This is to cater for the community, sporting, recreational and social needs of the growing population of Portlaoise. He wants an application made immediately for a Sports Hall under the large-scale Sports Infrastructure Fund.

In view of the projected population growth in Portlaoise, he is hoping the proposed Community Hall would cater for sporting groups, recreational groups, and community groups. 

Speaking at the Portlaoise Municipal District meeting, he says there were more options available when he was a teenager:

Councillor Mulligan said that Portlaoise will be unable to sustain social activities for the growing population envisaged to be between 35,000 and 40,000 in the next ten years. 

"In a town already struggling with facilities, we are the only town in Ireland that doesn't have a racket sports hall. St Mary's all is already maxed out. We are on the cusp of voting for rezoning an additional 6,000 units in Portlaoise. I suppose an average of three per house and there you have there's almost 18,000 extra people coming here to live in the next ten years.

Fianna Fail Councillor Catherine Fitzgerald supported the motion saying that Portlaoise doesn't have the social infrastructure or the roads to cater for the 6,000 new houses proposed for Portlaoise.

"How are we going to manage this? We need Government help. Do we stop housing and rezoning, it's not fair to build thousands of new homes if we don't have the social infrastructure."

FG Councillor Barry Walsh agreed with the motion but reiterated the essential need for a regional facility where more national funding would be available. He also asked that schools make their facilities more available.

Director of Services Simon Walton agreed to look at the motion in view of seeking planning permission for an appropriate site.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.