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A fire in Hepburn Court, the estate is now demolished and land part of a new housing plan.

Portlaoise is to get its first housing estate of prefab modular social homes as the council aims to rapidly supply more homes. Laois County Council has this week agreed to sell lands for €500,000 to Clúid.

The 2.5 hectare batch of adjoining Portlaoise sites have suffered repeat dumping and vandalism. The sites include the demolished Hepburn Court, a former Jehovahs Witness meeting hall, a squash hall and the council's own field in Knockmay.

Clúid Housing plans to build 54 social homes that will be maintained by them and leased back to the council longterm for tenants, in an increasingly common method of Government social housing that means tenants can never buy their homes.

Construction is expected to start this November, on eight two bedroom bungalows and 46 two bedroom two storey homes.

The sale was approved at the July meeting of Laois County Council, proposed by Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley, seconded by Cllr Willie Aird.

“It is the first I have seen of modular homes coming to Portlaoise. It will be interesting to see how they are built, coming in off a lorry, all for people on the housing waiting list,” Cllr Aird said.

On Hepburn Court, he said "half were burnt down. Very genuine people bought there, it was a dreadful thing to happen. I hope I never see it again," he said.

Cllr Aisling Moran questioned the money spent so far by the council, but no price was given. “This works out at €83,000 an acre for zoned residential land, it's very low. We should build our own, but we're signing leases, in 25 years they'll be out and housing bodies will charge what they like ,” she warned.

Cllr Dwane Stanley said the development will make “a huge difference to this area”. “I would dearly love to see Laois County Council building their own houses but we are in the currency where housing bodies seem to be doing it. With the residents of Knockmay I am delighted we are finally getting progress. I was guaranteed that the price was advised through an auctioneer,” she said.

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Hepburn Court was a small estate built privately in 2004 on the Ballyfin Road. However some houses were burnt out and tenants rapidly moved out. The council blocked it up in 2013 and demolished it in 2019 after buying up each house, some by compulsory purchase orders. It also bought the two vacant halls.

Director of Services for Housing is Angela McEvoy. “We got evaluations from an auctioneer. There will be 25 homes per hectare which is appropriate density. We had the field for a long time, then Hepburn Court came and there was a problem with anti-social behaviour and dereliction. Everything was wrong with it. A lot of work was done regarding CPOs,” she said.

The site is neighboured by Mountain View, Clonroose View, Parnell Crescent, Hillview Drive and Oaklawn housing estates.

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