Plans to revitalise Laois town centre estimated to cost €7 million

The upgrade of Mountrath Town Centre is progressing to the next stage

Published 14th Aug 2026, 21:00 BST Mountrath town centre (Photo: Google Maps). The upgrade of Mountrath Town Centre is progressing to the next stage 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.

Plans to revitalise a Laois town centre have taken a step forward as contractors have been invited to tender for the project which is estimated to cost around €7 million.

Laois County Council are seeking a Single Service Provider to deliver the next stages of the Mountrath Town Centre Public Realm Improvement Scheme.

In May, the Council also sought a multidisciplinary design team for the upgrade of the town centre.

The project has long been in the works, with funding being sought in the past number of years from the Town & Village Renewal Scheme.

The project aims to create an enhanced environment for people living, working and visiting the town through housing and public realm improvements, with the overall hopes of encouraging and stimulating economic growth.

The key pillars of the project include ensuring quality, safety, sustainability, connectivity, active travel, biodiversity, climate resilience and inclusivity in the town through high-quality public realm design.

The Mountrath Public Realm Improvement Scheme aims to reorient the town from private vehicle domination and towards pedestrian priority and active travel connectivity. This will be done through the improvement of public spaces and footpaths.

This new tender is for a period of 36 months and is valued at €200,000. Laois County Council has estimated that the overall project may be in the region of €7 million.

Local photography enthusiasts capture life and heritage in Laois As the project prepares to progress into the next stages, the chosen contractor will carry out a variety of tasks such as the development of a Town Spatial Strategy for Mountrath Town which will be informed by the existing Sustainable Community Plan for Mountrath.

Following this, a Town Centre Design will be developed and then Part 8 planning documents will be prepared.

Project stages beyond Part 8 planning will be the subject of a separate tender competition and will be dependent on a successful application for grant funding.

Laois County Council also intends to examine how derelict and vacant lands between Main Street and the Whitehorse River could be developed, including for a possible river link or green way.

In the tender documents published by the council, they say: “Like many towns in Ireland, Mountrath is facing many challenges including ‘hollowing out’ of functions and businesses in the town centre. As a result, in recent years there has been an increase in the prominence of derelict buildings within the town centre.

“Coupled with this the town centre is not pedestrian friendly and there is a visual dominance of parked cars. There is also a lack of civic community space in the town centre. Sections of the existing footpath are also in disrepair. Such conditions have necessitated the need for an improved public realm. There is significant potential for the town centre to increase its residential population and foster compact development which will have benefits in terms of environmental and climate resilience.

“An improved public realm will enable and support compact urban growth in Mountrath, encouraging and enabling town centre living and redevelopment, which in turn is economically viable, deepens the sense of community and delivers enjoyable places for people where they want to live, work and socialise.”

Once the contractor is appointed, Laois County Council expects to “promptly” commence the project.