€1.3 billion sports arena and 800-bed hotel planned for Laois

A 70,000-SEAT indoor music/sports arena and an 800-bed hotel is planned for Laois.

Plans are being prepared for submission to Laois County Council for the €1.3 billion development.

A spokesperson for Cross-roads of Ireland Developments, the company behind the venture, said that pending approval of planning permission, it hopes to have workers on the 850-acre site within weeks and the project completed by 2030, with as many locals as possible employed.

Speaking to the ‘Laois Nationalist’, the spokesperson said: “We encouraged a number of major international investors to come on board, because the midlands region, indeed Ireland, is devoid of such a state-of the-art development.

“We considered Laois as the ideal location for what will be the largest indoor facility of its kind ever constructed in Ireland. It's at the crossroads of the country and is adequately serviced by national road networks and trains. Laois has also shown how well it caters for huge volumes of traffic attending major events such as the Electric Picnic, the National Ploughing Championships and Forest Fest.

“We plan to have an indoor seated entertainment/sports arena that will cater for up to 70,000 people (seated) that will attract some of the biggest acts on the world music scene as well as staging major national/international sporting events.” 

The planned hotel will have 800 ensuite state-of-the-art bedrooms (single, doubles and family), four top-class restaurants, three ball-rooms and will cater for conferences and weddings.

There will also be two swimming pools, two fitness centres and three crèches on the campus. The company also has plans to develop a major retail park and office complex with adequate car/bus parking areas and three helipads. The company expects to employ up to 1,500 workers during the construction and development stages and a full-time staff complement of over 800 people when fully operational.

With such a massive financial investment, the spokesperson was asked when do the investors expect to see are turn on their substantial investment?

“They're in this for the long haul,” she said. “Unlike other major venues in Ireland that charge an arm and a leg to see top international and national acts and sporting activities, we've made a firm commitment today, 1 April, that that our of ticket prices will not exceed €40 for any event we stage for the next 15 years.”