Laois car sales showroom to be transformed into play therapy centre

The new play therapy centre will serve young children with additional needs in Portlaoise

Published 14th Aug 2026, 13:00 BST The Noel Whelan Car Sales show room in Portlaoise will be converted into a play therapy centre for young children with special needs. Photo: Google Maps. The new play therapy centre will serve young children with additional needs in Portlaoise 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.

Planning permission has been granted on a conditional basis for the refurbishment and change of use of a car sales showroom in Portlaoise to make way for a new play therapy centre.

In February of this year, Amie Colgan applied for planning permission to change the use of the existing Noel Whelan Car Sales showroom, offices and store area in Ratheven, Portlaoise and refurbish the building for a play therapy centre.

The existing building which was proposed to be developed is just 270 square metres of the total 0.204 hectare site, with the remainder of the adjoining building still in use as a garage for imported vehicles.

The proposal also included plans for an extension to the building in order to provide toilets and a café.

The development will provide a play centre for small groups of young children with special needs aged between 0 and 12 years old, along with individual assessment and care services.

Stradbally residents get their own Electric Picnic webpage and booklet Ms Colgan is the founder of C-Ability which is an Irish non-profit organisation that provides play camps and youth clubs for children with additional needs.

According to the planning documents, she hopes to “provide a vital and much needed service for families of young children with neurodiverse and additional needs. Her intention is to provide a small scale play therapy centre that will offer a safe, secure, and affordable play environment for such families.”

The application was supported by local Councillor Barry Walsh who agreed that the development “would provide a vital service to our community.”

The Noel Whelan Car Sales site was purposely chosen for its location which, Ms Colgan said, offers safe and secure premises with an established commercial site area that provides a showroom, office, and storage area to provide a newly refurbished play therapy centre.

The existing car sales showroom and office areas are intended to provide an easily accessible ground floor soft play area with an assembly/play room, as well as interactive and sensory rooms.

The new play therapy centre aims to employ between four and six full and part-time staff.