‘Significant’ number of projects undertaken for Laois’ first Low Carbon Town

Cllr Aisling Moran questioned what has been done to advance Portlaoise’s Low Carbon Town status

Published 1st Aug 2026, 12:00 BST Anne Lennon, Climate Action Officer, Marian Shalloe, Suzanne Dempsey, Climate Action Coordinator Laois County Council, Georgina Ireland, Senior Executive Officer Laois County Council, and Laurence O'Reilly, Sustainable Energy Communities Laois County Council, at the launch of the first neighbourhood energy clinic in Portlaoise. Photo: Michael Scully. Cllr Aisling Moran questioned what has been done to advance Portlaoise’s Low Carbon Town status Sign up to our Laois Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Laois Live within your account.

Questions were raised regarding the progress of the Portlaoise Low Carbon Town Project by a local Laois councillor.

The Ireland 2040 Plan identified Portlaoise as the national pilot model for a Low Carbon Town. This type of initiative works towards building a greener, sustainable future for the town and county.

The project aims to reduce traffic and congestion as well as emissions, provide more bike-friendly roads and green spaces, and revitalise buildings in the town centre.

At the meeting of Laois County Council on Monday, July 27, Cllr Aisling Moran questioned what has been done to advance the project in Portlaoise.

She noted that when she was elected in 2019 that there was a major push towards delivering the project and she wanted to know what has been done in the 7 years since.

Defending the Council’s commitment to the project, Director of Services at Laois County Council, Simon Walton, said that there has been a number of “significant capital programmes which have been introduced over the last five years that support the entire concept of the Portlaoise Low Carbon Town.”

New €70 million 110 kV substation planned for Portlaoise Mr Walton highlighted some of the major projects delivered in Portlaoise which work towards the objectives of a Low Carbon Town, such as the introduction of the Portlaoise Town bus service, the Biodiversity Action Plan, the development of the Triogue Way, and the cooperation between the Council and the Portlaoise Tidy Towns group to plant trees and shrubbery.

Fellow Director of Services, Pat Delaney, agreed that there have been multiple projects carried out to support the initiative, with various streams of funding from the likes of Active Travel or the Climate Action Fund.

Indeed, Laois County Council was nominated earlier this year for ‘Best Sustainable Infrastructure & Climate Action for Portlaoise Low Carbon Town’ at the 2026 All-Ireland Community and Council Awards.

More recently, the Council set up the first neighbourhood energy clinic in Portlaoise which provides locals with free, independent and tailored advice on improving the energy performance of their homes.

The clinic, which opened up in July, forms part of the Portlaoise Low Carbon Town Project.