8. Socio Economic
Assessment
8.4 County Laois
Laois is an inland
county south west of County Kildare. It is one of the most
strategically located counties in Ireland. Set in the heart
of the country, its
principal town, Portlaoise, is at the junction of the N7 and
N8 National Primary Routes.
Both of these roads are of major importance in Ireland's transportation
network.
The centre of
County Laois is dominated by large tracts of tillage and pasture
land, bounded on the east by the Killeshin plateau. To the
north, the Slieve Bloom
Mountains give the County a rugged backdrop, and provide a
centre for outdoor activities.
The two principal rivers, the Nore and the Barrow, flow from
north-west to south-east to
drain almost the entire county.
Within the Laois
County Development Plan 2000 it is the policy of the Council
to ensure
that the study corridors or roads whose routes have not been
finalised are kept free from
development and to cooperate with adjacent County Councils
and the National Roads
Authority in implementing specific road proposals.
The 1996 Census
of population recorded the population of County Laois as 52,945
persons,
an increase of just 3 per cent on the 1981 figure of 51,171
persons. Population trends
are given below:
Population,
County Laois, 1981-1996
|
Settlement
|
County
|
Pop
1981
|
Pop
1986
|
Pop
1991
|
Pop
1996
|
%
change 1981-1986
|
%
change 1986 1991
|
%
change 1991-1996
|
%
change 1981-1996
|
|
County
|
Laois
|
51,171
|
53,284
|
52,314
|
52,945
|
4
|
-2
|
1
|
3
|
|
Carlow
Environs (Laois)
|
Laois
|
369
|
726
|
794
|
870
|
97
|
9
|
10
|
136
|
The study area
includes a portion of the County along its eastern boundary
abutting Carlow,
Kilkenny and Kildare. The principal centre within this part
of the County is Carlow Environs,
locally referred to as Graiguecullen.
Growth of Carlow
Environs (including parts in the administrative areas of Laois
and Carlow)
has been significant over the past 20 years. The figures above
show the population trends for
the environs between 1981 and 1996. The environs have experienced
a significant increase in
population over the period 1981 to 1996 rising from 369 persons
to 870 persons, a 136 percentage
increase.
There is a significant
quantity of land available for further development within
Carlow Environs
which will accommodate a substantial amount of additional
residential development over the period
of the plan. The population of the area rely on the urban
area of Carlow Town for community facilities,
commercial and recreational activity. It is a policy of Laois
County Council to cooperate with
Carlow County Council and Carlow Urban District Council in
developing an integrated, comprehensive
strategy for the area and providing the requisite level of
services for the people resident therein.
To achieve a good level of circulation into, out and around
the development area the Council
propose to construct the Carlow Northern Relief Road and ancillary
road works.
|
