Bruton's city status plan for Portlaoise welcomed

The Fine Gael leader's trip to the midlands last week was far more impressive than his earlier jaunt to Tullamore

The Fine Gael leader's trip to the midlands last week was far more impressive than his earlier jaunt to Tullamore. It was there he said he wanted to see Athlone, Portlaoise and Mullingar upgraded as major towns.

Fortunately for Mr John Bruton, no one in Tullamore was quibbling with his demand in Portlaoise this week that it should push for city status. He said the Offaly capital too would be part of the organic development of the midlands.

Portlaoise has been growing rapidly, as a decent rail line and an almost finished carriageway link it to the capital.

In 1996 Portlaoise had a population of 9,500 people. In 10 years that is expected to double and by 2020 to reach 35,000.

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Now Fine Gael in its "Plan for the Nation" favours the Laois capital as a hub for major expansion and a powerhouse for development in the area.

At a conference in the Killeshin Hotel, there was a suggestion that as the town was bypassed, it might be a case of being "out of sight, out of mind".

The chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce of Ireland, Mr Simon Nugent, who made the suggestion, was one of the many business, professional, public representatives and party supporters there.

Some of the difficulties posed by the town's dramatic rate of growth were pointed out by the Laois director of community and enterprise, Mr Declan Byrne.

He said a huge infrastructural job would have to be carried out in the town to feed this growth. The main drainage scheme alone, he said, would cost around £33 million.

Mr Cormac Lally, chairman of Laois for Investment, said the town had no spare office space and hundreds of people were commuting from it every day to work elsewhere.

Mr Charles Flanagan TD said that if the town was to be transformed into an attractive small city in 20 years, the community would need to be mobilised and resources put behind a plan.

The meeting was one of a series being held by Fine Gael to publicise its programme for developing the State.