Green light for apartments in derelict Laois convent
The former Presentation Convent in Stradbally has been vacant for decades. File image
PLANNING permission has been granted for 19 apartments at a long-derelict former convent in Stradbally.
Laois County Council gave a green light last week for the private development at the former Presentation Convent, which has been a prominent eyesore on Main Street for decades.
Vesta Construction Ltd intends to renovate the 19th century protected building and adjacent chapel to create one-bedroom apartments. There will be 19 private parking spaces at the rear, where two dilapidated outbuildings will be demolished, together with six EV charging stations, with capacity for more in the longer term.
The plans include five apartments on the ground floor, three units on the first floor and a further five units on the upper floors. A new two-storey building will contain three residential units, while the protected chapel building will be converted into three studio apartments.
The condition and safety of the old convent building, whose interior has suffered ongoing vandalism, has long been a cause of concern. It was finally placed on the derelict sites register in 2023.
In late 2021, Stradbally councillor Paschal McEvoy got unanimous support for a proposal that the council buy the premises for use as a digital and enterprise hub, at a time when the convent was on the market for €550,000.
The proposal was not followed through due to lack of funding and the building was subsequently purchased by private developers Vesta Construction Ltd, who lodged a pre-planning application in April 2024 and a full planning application last year.
Laois architects NKSE Architectural Studio, who are involved in the project, said they were ‘excited to get this building renovated and returned to its former glory’.
They said: ‘While the building looks in good order from the street, unfortunately (it is) not so wonderful internally and to the rear of the site. Having been left derelict for so long, along with vandalism, has seen the beautiful interior of this building destroyed with key features lost. Hopefully, what remains can now be preserved.’
Several submissions were made by neighbouring residents and businesspeople, who expressed concern about the possible impact on already scarce parking spaces on Main Street.
They included a submission from Ann Simpson, director of the busy Gala store opposite the convent, who stressed that parking on Main Street must not be impacted by apartment residents, as customers rely on spaces outside the store.
She added that, while the plans state that the building is not on a flood plain, she has witnessed flooding and cannot get flood insurance as a result. She also called on the council to develop public transport for Stradbally.
The green light in Stradbally follows completion of a major social housing development at the former Presentation Convent in Portlaoise, which will be officially opened by housing minister James Browne this Friday.
The €30m development by Sophia Housing, in collaboration with Laois County Council and Bretland, created 52 homes at the long-derelict convent and adjacent former Sacred Heart NS for people on the council's housing waiting list.
Most of the residential units, featuring a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, are already occupied by tenants. The development includes a new public park, green areas and a community space that have revitalised a site that was vacant for over 20 years in the heart of the town.
