Observation pack · Laois County Council

MAIN STREET , PORTARLINGTON , CO.LAOIS

CHANGE OF USE OF EXISTING RETAIL UNIT TO A “CARRY OUT” OFF-LICENCE FOR THE SALE OF BEER AND SPIRITS OFF THE PREMISES, WITH RETAIL ELEMENT AND ALL ASSOCIATED SITE WORKS

Observations close 15 Oct 2026 10 days left

5 weeks from receipt (received 10 Sept 2026) · s.34 Planning and Development Act 2000 · art. 29 Regulations 2001 · fee €20 · council decision due 4 Nov 2026

The application

Reference: 2660633 · full record
Authority: Laois County Council
Type: PERMISSION
Status: NEW APPLICATION
Applicant: not published by the national dataset — see the council register
Units: 0
Floor area: —
Site area: 1,152 m²
Received: 10 Sept 2026
We first saw it: 18 Sept 2026, 15:44
Decision due: 4 Nov 2026
Decision: N/a

The national dataset truncates descriptions (80 characters for DLR, 70 for Fingal) and omits the applicant. The full description and the drawings are on the council register linked in step 1.

How to submit an observation

Read the file on the council register.Drawings, planning statement and site notices are at http://www.eplanning.ie/LaoisCC/AppFileRefDetails/2660633/0.
Write your observation.Quote 2660633 at the top, give your name and the address the authority should reply to, and confine it to planning matters — zoning objective, height, overlooking, traffic, drainage, heritage. What you say here is what you can later appeal on.
Pay the €20 fee.Every submission needs it; without it the observation is invalid and is returned. Laois County Council takes it online with the submission or at the counter.
Submit before 15 Oct 2026.Online through the register above, or in writing to the Planning Department, Laois County Council. The test is the date the authority receives it, not the date you post it.
Keep the acknowledgement.The council's receipt is your proof of a valid observation — see below.

Statutory basis. Section 34(1) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) requires a planning authority to consider any submission or observation made to it in accordance with the Regulations. Article 29 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended) sets the window: a submission or observation must be received by the authority within five weeks beginning on the date of receipt of the application, and must be accompanied by the prescribed fee of €20. A submission received after the window, or without the fee, is invalid and the authority must return it.

After you submit: keep the acknowledgement. Under the 2024 Act it secures your right to appeal — only the applicant and a person who made a valid observation may bring the council's decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála, within four weeks of the decision. Making a valid observation is also what buys a right of appeal: under s.37(1) of the 2000 Act, only the applicant and a person who made a valid submission or observation to the planning authority may appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála (within four weeks of the decision). Missing the five-week window closes both doors.

What the site is zoned

Code	Objective	Plan	In force
R2 Existing residential	Residential 1 - Existing Residential: To protect and improve the amenity of developed residential communities	LS-002:DP:laois-county-development-plan-2021-2027	8 Mar 2022 → 7 Mar 2028
R2 Existing residential	Residential 1 - Existing Residential: To protect and enhance the amenity of developed residential communities.	LS-003:DP:laois-county-development-plan-2021-2027-including-ministerial-direction-as-varied-by-variation-no-1-no-2-and-no-3	8 Mar 2022 → 7 Mar 2028

An application that accords with the zoning objective is hard to resist on principle; one that does not may be a material contravention, which the council can only grant by the s.34(6) procedure with its own notice and window.

Sources: LAOIS LS-002:DP:laois-county-development-plan-2021-2027, LAOIS LS-003:DP:laois-county-development-plan-2021-2027-including-ministerial-direction-as-varied-by-variation-no-1-no-2-and-no-3 · fetched 27 Sept 2026, 19:37

Source	Licence	Fetched	Link
LAOIS LS-002:DP:laois-county-development-plan-2021-2027	—	27 Sept 2026, 19:37	open
LAOIS LS-003:DP:laois-county-development-plan-2021-2027-including-ministerial-direction-as-varied-by-variation-no-1-no-2-and-no-3	—	4 Oct 2026, 23:04	open

Designations on or near the site

NIAH-recorded building × 10
Portarlington Methodist Church · Saint Germain's · Main Street

Nearby precedents within 500 m, last 5 years

Decisions

Reference	Decision	Decided	Units	Distance	Description
2660533	Conditional	21 Sept 2026	1	22 m	change of use from office to dwelling house and all associated site works.
2660440	Conditional	28 Aug 2026	1	406 m	demolish the existing single storey detached building on the site and the kitchen extension on the original house, extend the original house with a two-storey extension and build a single-storey kitchen/living space with a single-storey link between the two, also externally insulate the existing house and upgrade to an A-rated house together with all associated works
2660438	Conditional	20 Aug 2026	0	488 m	retain extension to rear of dwelling construction of 2 attached independent living units in place of demolished attached sheds; concrete panel boundary wall; and all associated site works
2560552	Conditional	17 Aug 2026	2	189 m	construct 2 no. 4 bedroom semi-detached dwellings, demolition of derelict outbuildings (remains of), make good existing rear boundary wall and all associated site works on previously approved site (Reg. Ref. 19/518 refers). The proposed development is located within the curtilage of a protected structure (“The Wilton”).
2636	Conditional	21 Jul 2026	0	163 m	construct wheelchair access to the external ATM, Involving the relocation of the existing ATM device and surround panel to a new location at the top of the existing ramp on the front facade and all associated site works, the building is a protected structure ( RPS REF. NO. RPS 133)
2660144	Conditional	7 May 2026	0	437 m	retain a storeroom extension to the rear of existing building and all associated site works
2660098	Conditional	15 Apr 2026	0	470 m	retain rear & side extension & change of use from previous use as a dwelling to retail shop with ancillary café use, including limited sit-in and takeaway food service, together with all associated internal alterations and ancillary works.
2560719	Conditional	24 Mar 2026	3	496 m	construct a NEW SINGLE STOREY COMMUNAL BUILDING, CONSISTING OF 3 NO. INDEPENDENT LIVING UNITS AND A COMMUNAL KITCHEN / UTILITY UNIT; ALL ASSOCIATED SITE WORKS

Appeals

ACP case	Type	Outcome	Decided	Distance
501195	—	Other	12 Aug 2026	496 m
323023	—	Other	24 Jul 2026	0 m
323236	—	Other	11 Nov 2025	292 m
318577	—	Refused	2 Dec 2024	0 m
316469	—	Other	24 Oct 2023	430 m
316373	—	Other	18 Oct 2023	492 m
313954	—	Granted with conditions	20 Sept 2023	430 m
317971	—	Invalid	7 Sept 2023	466 m

If neighbours here have appealed before and lost, the inspector's report on that case is the single most useful thing to read.

What has happened on this file

10 Sept 2026 New application · observations close 15 Oct 2026
10 Sept 2026 Decision

Generated from the Planning Register store; nothing was fetched live for this page. Source: national planning dataset, fetched 18 Sept 2026, 15:44. Not legal advice — confirm the deadline with Laois County Council before relying on it.