A c. 3.85 Ha site at Summerhill , Portlaoise , Co. Laois.
retain amendments to 7 No. houses permitted as part of the residential development granted under LCC Reg. Ref. 25/60385 at a c. 3.85 Ha site at Summerhill, Portlaoise, Co. Laois. This application relates to Phase 2 of the wider Sand Wood Development (generally bound by: the Southern Circular Road and Aghnaharna Drive to the north; the Holy Family Schools and Ashewood Walk to the east; and agricultural land to the south and west). The Phase 2 site is generally bound by: agricultural lands to the west; Phases 1A & 1B (permitted under LCC Reg. Refs. 23/60350 & 23/60348, as amended under LCC Reg. Ref. 25/60040) to the north, which are near completion and partially occupied; and Phase 3 (permitted under LCC Reg. Ref. 25/60386) to the south and east. Retention permission is sought for the re-orientation of 6 No. 4-bed houses (‘D’ house type) located along the northern boundary of the site, resulting in the front of the house now facing the internal street to the north; the relocation of the adjacent 4-bed house (‘B1’ house type) further west by approximately 2-metres; and minor amendments to hard and soft landscaping, boundary treatments, car parking and all other associated works above and below ground located adjacent to and within the curtilage of the 7 No. houses. No amendments have been made to the remaining 85 No. permitted residential units.
The five-week window has passed. Late observations are returned unread. If the council has decided, the next door is the appeal window — but under s.37 only the applicant and those who made a valid observation may appeal.
The application
- Reference
- 2660642 · full record
- Authority
- Laois County Council
- Type
- RETENTION
- Status
- NEW APPLICATION
- Applicant
- not published by the national dataset — see the council register
- Units
- 0
- Floor area
- —
- Site area
- 4.54 ha
- Received
- 14 Sept 2026
- We first saw it
- 22 Sept 2026, 16:10
- Decision due
- 8 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/2660642/0.
- Write your observation.Quote
2660642at 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 19 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.
What the site is zoned
| Code | Objective | Plan | In force |
|---|---|---|---|
| G4 Open space | Open Space and Amenity: To preserve, provide for and improve active and passive recreational public and private open space. | laois county development plan 2021 2027 | 8 Mar 2022 → 7 Mar 2028 |
| O1 Green belt and strategic open land | Strategic Reserve: To provide lands for future development in line with national and regional targets over the next Plan period 2021-2027 | laois county development plan 2021 2027 | 8 Mar 2022 → 7 Mar 2028 |
| R3 Rural cluster | Residential 2: To provide for new residential development, residential services and community facilities. Housing Density approximately 12-25 houses per Hectare. | laois county development plan 2021 2027 | 8 Mar 2022 → 7 Mar 2028 |
| G4 Open space | Open Space/Amenity: To preserve, provide for and improve active and passive recreational public and private open space. | 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 |
| R1 New residential | Residential 2: To provide for new residential development, residential services and community facilities. Housing Density approximately 12-25 houses per Hectare. | 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 |
| R1 New residential | Residential 2: To provide for new residential development, residential services and community facilities. Housing Density approximately 12-25 houses per Hectare. | 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.
Source: Laois County Council development plan zoning · fetched 4 Oct 2026, 23:04
| Source | Licence | Fetched | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laois County Council development plan zoning | — | 4 Oct 2026, 23:04 | open |
Designations on or near the site
Nothing designated within 100 m of the site.
Nearby precedents within 500 m, last 5 years
Decisions
| Reference | Decision | Decided | Units | Distance | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2660441 | Conditional | 27 Aug 2026 | 1 | 462 m | remodel and upgrade an existing dormer bungalow to include modification of hipped roof to gabled, construction of new box dormers, addition of canopy to entrance elevation and covered terrace area to rear, as well as adjustments to window configuration and cladding materials. the proposed works include for an extension to the existing garage, to be used as a home gym, as well as energy upgrades of external insulation and all associated site works |
| 2660408 | Conditional | 12 Aug 2026 | 0 | 379 m | construct a Car Wash Automated Unit, a plant room with a water recycling system and all associated site works. |
| 2660335 | Conditional | 26 Jun 2026 | 0 | 190 m | install sustainable energy compounds to host an LPG tank and heat pump modules, and all associated site development works under a Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III) Development. |
| 2660260 | Refused | 15 Jun 2026 | 0 | 0 m | amend permission of the permitted Neighbourhood Centre building granted under LCC Reg. Ref. 23/60348, as amended under LCC Reg. Ref. 25/60040, (now known as ‘Sand Wood’). The site is generally bound to the north by Aghnaharna Drive, to the east by Holy Family School Road, and to the west and south by undeveloped lands and a residential development currently under construction, granted under LCC Reg. Ref. 23/60350 (also known as ‘Sand Wood’). No amendments are proposed to the permitted 67 No. residential units. The development will principally consist of: the change of use of the permitted creche and cycle store to a retail unit; the subdivision and part change of use of the permitted retail unit to a medical centre, retail unit, a refuse store and ESB switchroom; provision of a mezzanine level (c. 139 sq m) above first floor level within the southern extent of the Neighbourhood Centre building to provide additional office floor space; rationalisation of the ground and first floor layouts of the Neighbourhood Centre building and modifications to the footprint of the building, increasing the floor area by c. 57 sq m. The development will result in an overall increase in floor area of the Neighbourhood Centre building by c. 196 sq m, from 1,426 sq m to c. 1,622 sq m. The development also proposes: the provision of 3 No. additional car parking spaces; minor cycle & car parking layout changes; landscaping; boundary treatments; and all other associated site works above and below ground. |
| 2619 | Unconditional | 18 May 2026 | 1 | 273 m | extend duration of Planning Permission 2260011 |
| 2618 | Unconditional | 11 May 2026 | 1 | 326 m | extend duration of Planning Ref. 19/727 |
| 2560303 | Conditional | 29 Jan 2026 | 0 | 110 m | construct two storey and part three storey 1000 pupil secondary school to include general classrooms, specialist classrooms, a general-purpose hall, PE hall, offices, staff room, library, sanitary facilities and ancillary spaces. The development also includes the provision of: • New site entrance from O’Dowling roundabout on the Portlaoise South Orbital Route – R94 - Leading to new car and bus set down/ drop off area with 49 No. carparking spaces and with pedestrian & cycle route to the proposed school. • New site entrance from the adjoining Timahoe / Well Road (R426), access road with cycle and foot paths, bicycle spaces and 92 No. car parking space. • Provision of new footpath on the Timahoe / Well Road (R426), connecting to the existing. • Proposed new Hockey pitch with associated fencing, shelter dugouts and 8 no. flood lighting standards. • 6 no. ball courts, landscaped gardens and external social space. • Provision of a heat pump and gas storage areas, external stores and bin storage area. • Provision for all landscaping, boundary treatments, associated drainage, attenuation and other site services with all related site development and ancillary works. • A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) will be submitted to the planning authority with the application and the NIS will be available for inspection or purchase at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy during office hours at the office of the relevant planning authority. |
| 2560386 | Conditional | 13 Jan 2026 | 74 | 0 m | construct a creche (c. 961 sq m) and 74 No. residential dwellings comprising 64 No. 4-bed houses and 4 No. 1-bed and 6 No. 2-bed sheltered housing units. The proposed development will be 1 No. and 2 No. storeys in height. The development will also include: minor amendments to the landscape and boundary treatment to the south of the Phase 1A site to provide car parking and access to the proposed creche; the continuation of the Link Road permitted in Phases 1A & 1B, as proposed to be amended and extended as part of the Phase 2 application; car parking; cycle parking; public open space; drainage connections; boundary treatments; hard and soft landscaping; lighting; and all associated site and development works above and below ground. |
Appeals
| ACP case | Type | Outcome | Decided | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500151 | — | Granted | 25 Feb 2026 | 0 m |
| 318799 | — | Granted with conditions | 9 Jan 2025 | 0 m |
| 316803 | — | Other | 8 Sept 2023 | 0 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
- 14 Sept 2026 New application · observations close 19 Oct 2026
- 14 Sept 2026 Decision
Generated from the Planning Register store; nothing was fetched live for this page. Source: national planning dataset, fetched 22 Sept 2026, 16:10. Not legal advice — confirm the deadline with Laois County Council before relying on it.