Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)

It is helpful to have a figure.

My next question is for the Department officials and it concerns the former County Hotel in Portlaoise. Ms Lawler will recall this one.

It was a derelict site for 30 years. Laois County Council then compulsorily purchased it, I think, and an AHB was going to develop it by putting 11 apartments into the existing building, which I always thought was daft because it did not lend itself to getting that many apartments into it. I believe it should have been demolished, but I am a layperson. The AHB has pulled out and it is back to the council, and it looks like the building will be demolished. I say to Mr. Hogan and the other officials in the Department that the matter will come in for approval, if it is not already in. I was talking to the chief executive of the council about it. It needs to be fast-tracked. It has been derelict 30 years and it has been two years since the AHB pulled out. It is now back with the council and it just needs to be fast-tracked. I think I am correct in saying it was 2019 when the AHB became involved, so six years have been wasted on top of the period it was derelict. I wanted to raise that point and use the opportunity to get that local issue in because we need single units in Laois for single people and smaller families.

I have another question both councils might address. With some over-the-shop projects, you are basically trying to renovate a pile of dust. There are streets that do no lend themselves to it. One of the earlier witnesses said this. There are difficulties in trying to repurpose them as units. There are soundproofing problems, fire safety problems and energy rating problems. A lot of these have half an acre or an acre of back garden and it would make more sense, if they were compulsorily purchased, to level them and put in a small street with six to eight small units there, be they private or social. The chief executive of Longford County Council might answer and maybe somebody from Carlow.