Laois County Council will now appoint the Design Team for the project.
A midlands town is getting a new fire station.
Laois County Council says approval has been granted by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the facility in Rathdowney.
The local authority will now be able to go to full design and cost plan stage for this new fire station.
The application for the proposed new fire station was originally submitted in December 2024, outlining the significant limitations of the current fire station. The new proposal includes a new 2 bay station, training tower and yard in line with national guidance.
Cllr Barry Walsh, Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council, welcomed news of this development, saying: “This is great news for the people of Rathdowney, it will ensure that our Fire and Rescue staff have improved facilities as they continue to protect the community. I would like to thank the hard-working staff in Laois County Council for progressing this application and I look forward to visiting the new station when it opens”.
Laois County Council identified Rathdowney fire station as its number one infrastructural priority for the 2026 – 2030 Fire Services Capital Programme.
Simon Walton, Director of Services at Laois County Council, also welcomed the news, saying: “Laois County Council is working hard to continually deliver high quality infrastructure for our communities, and this approval marks a major step forward for Rathdowney. This new fire station will make a real and lasting difference for the town, supporting both our firefighters and the wider community they serve.”
Laois County Council will now begin the next phase of the project, to appoint the Design Team to prepare the detailed design and to prepare tender documents. That will be followed by a public tender process and appointment of a Contractor to construct the new fire station.
Fine Gael Councillor John King says it means a lot to deliver this project for the town:
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