GIY, in partnership with Healthy Ireland and public libraries will distribute 50,000 free food growing kits as part of a new ‘Grow it Forward’ initiative.
Recipients are asked to use the kits to share the experience with ten people, enabling half a million people across Ireland to enjoy the wide range of benefits that come from growing food at home.
As part of the Government’s Keep Well programme, this campaign is designed to help the nation eat well by inspiring and supporting people to grow some of their own food at home while connecting with friends and family to join them.
Let’s get growing, email your contact details (including postal address) to mountmellicklibrary@laoiscoco.ie or call 057-8644572 for your free packs!
Forever Young is a multi-phase art project with older people inspiring artists. Celebrate special memories in your life through sharing them. Free specially designed creative writing packs available from Dunamaise Arts Centre throughout April.
Registered members of the Public Participation Network will be delivering ‘Check-In’ cards to older and vulnerable persons in our communities, living alone or more isolated during this pandemic. This neighbourly non-contact check in invites people to stay connected and reach out if they need support.
The Local Authority Heritage Officer Network has launched a campaign to get people connected with nature, as part of the Government’s “Keep Well” Campaign.
A free booklet “Gardening for Biodiversity” has been produced and is available from all Local Authority Heritage Officers
Being a dog owner comes with responsibility. Please remember to bring bags and clean up after your dog.
Dog fouling degrades our towns and transmits disease. Picking up after your dog is now the norm and only a small proportion of inconsiderate dog owners don’t clean up after their dogs. Do the right thing: Bag It, Bin It.
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD, today (Thursday 1 April) announced that 477 heritage projects across every county in the country will benefit from a total of €3m under this year’s Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).
Of this fund €72,000 has been allocated to 12 projects in Laois, ranging from small thatched houses to larger country houses.
Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council, Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald, welcomed the announcement saying “In addition to supporting owners of historic buildings in looking after their properties, this funding will also provide a welcome boost to local construction and heritage trades by facilitating works with a total value of over €15.5m and creating jobs estiated at 19,000 days’ labour. Laois County Council is delighted to be able to participate in the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, providing a link between the Department and owners on the ground and getting this funding out to Laois Communities”.
Thatched house near Emo rethatched under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme in 2020
The BHIS is one of two built heritage funding schemes run by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in association with the 31 Local Authorities. Through grants of up to €15,000, the BHIS assists owners of heritage structures – including those on the local authorities’ Record of Protected Structures and those in Architectural Conservation Areas – to meet their obligations to care for their properties. The scheme is not limited to private dwellings and also provides assistance to a wide range of other important heritage.
Also included under the BHIS 2021 is a continuation of a micro-grant stream introduced in 2020 to increase the resilience of historic structures to withstand the constant effects of climate change. This allows local authorities to make smaller awards to owners of historic properties to carry out routine maintenance to offset the impact of climate change on their buildings.
Minister Noonan said: “I am delighted to announce €3m investment in our built heritage which will assist 477 owners and custodians of historic and protected structures right across the country as they carry out hundreds of small-scale, labour-intensive projects to repair and safeguard our built heritage. These awards will provide much-needed economic stimulus in all 31 local authority areas and will give employment to the many small businesses, skilled conservation specialists and tradespeople involved in heritage-related construction activity. Not only will this €3m funding help sustain specialist heritage businesses while the market recovers, it is also an investment in this Government’s commitment under the Programme for Government to encourage traditional building skills.”
Minister of State for Local Government, Peter Burke, TD, also welcomed the announcement, saying “the success of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme is testament to the close working relationship between the Department and the Local Authorities, particularly the Architectural Conservation Officers, Heritage Officers and planning and administrative staff without whom these schemes would not exist. It is particularly pleasing to see this year’s BHIS fund so many projects in our towns, in line with this Government’s commitment to put Town Centres First.”
Conservation work funded by the BHIS underway at St Paul’s French Church Portarlington in 2020
Laois Projects funded this year are as follows:
Projects
Funding Allocated
House, Stradbally, Co. Laois
€8,500.00
Thatch Durrow, Co. Laois
€7,000.00
Thatch Fisherstown, Co. Laois
€7,000.00
Thatch Rathleague, Co. Laois
€7,000.00
Thatch Clonaghadooo, Co. Laois
€6,000.00
St Paul’s French Church Portarlington, Co. Laois
€4,000.00
Thatch Jamestown, Co. Laois
€3,500.00
House Mountmellick, Co. Laois
€10,000.00
Thatch Ballybodin, Co. Laois
€1,000.00
Thatch Graigue, Co. Laois
€7,000.00
Thatch Ballacolla, Co. Laois
€7,000.00
Forum Mountmellick, Co. Laois
€4,000.00
€72,000.00
Details of awards granted under the Department’s other built heritage scheme, the Historic Structures Fund, will be announced following their assessment in the coming weeks.
The list of all grantees nationally under the 2021 BHIS can be found here.
GIY, in partnership with Healthy Ireland and public libraries will distribute 50,000 free food growing kits as part of a new ‘Grow it Forward’ initiative.
Recipients are asked to use the kits to share the experience with ten people, enabling half a million people across Ireland to enjoy the wide range of benefits that come from growing food at home.
As part of the Government’s Keep Well programme, this campaign is designed to help the nation eat well by inspiring and supporting people to grow some of their own food at home while connecting with friends and family to join them.
Let’s get growing, email your contact details (including postal address) to mountmellicklibrary@laoiscoco.ie or call 057-8644572 for your free packs!
Notification of Temporary Traffic Management Arrangements
Laois County Council wishes to advise of Temporary Stop-Go Boards and Temporary Traffic Lights
At the following location: Glenbrook, Ballyroan, Co.Laois
Road: L-2778-0 Chapel Lane
From a point: 52.945929, -7.297773 (Scoil Eoin Phoil II Naofa National School)
To a point: 70 m East of junction with the L-81101-0 (Entrance to Glenbrook estate)
ON and/or BETWEEN the following dates & times:
31/03/2021 08:00:00 and 18:00:00
01/04/2021 08:00:00 and 18:00:00
02/04/2021 08:00:00 and 18:00:00
Installation of Pedestrian Crossing Ramp
Please see attached map (below)
Any objections or observations shall be emailed to:
rglynn@laoiscoco.ie
wwilkinson@laoiscoco.ie
kquinn@laoiscoco.ie
Signed: Roy Glynn
On behalf of the Roads Authority
Laois County Council launched the Carbon Footprint report for Portlaoise. It is the first Carbon Footprint report of its kind for a county town in Ireland and was commissioned by Laois County Council as part of the Low Carbon Town initiative supported by the Government in Project Ireland 2040.
Registered members of the Public Participation Network will be delivering ‘Check-In’ cards to older and vulnerable persons in our communities, living alone or more isolated during this pandemic. This neighbourly non-contact check in invites people to stay connected and reach out if they need support.
Have your say on the Draft Laois County Development Plan 2021 – 2027
Submission and observations in relation to the Draft Laois County Development Plan, the Strategic Environmental Assessment Report, the Appropriate Assessment Report and the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment, can be made until 5pm, Tuesday 23rd March 2021.
You can make an observation or submission via the following options;
Online here by registering on https://consult.laois.ie/where you can then make a submission on the draft chapters, appendix, environmental reports and maps.
Via email to cdp@laoiscoco.ie; or
In writing marked “Draft Laois County Development Plan 2021 – 2027 “to the Senior Planner, Planning Department, Laois County Council, Aras an Chontae, JFL Avenue, Portlaoise, Co Laois.
