People with an interest in the future of Smiths Field in Mountmellick still have time to contribute to Laois County Council’s regeneration survey. The consultation portal lists a closing time of 23:59 on Friday, 23 October 2026. [2]

For residents, businesses and community groups, the useful preparation is to connect a suggestion to an actual experience of the area. A clear account of where a problem occurs, who it affects and what an improvement could achieve gives the design team more to work with than a general request to make everything better.

Read the current material before answering

The council’s announcement, dated 6 October, follows a public engagement event held the previous day. It says feedback will help refine the proposals for a project identified in the Mountmellick Town Centre First Plan. [1]

The portal links the town plan, draft engagement boards and a questionnaire, together with the online survey. [2] Start with those official documents. Check which area the drawings cover and distinguish an existing feature from a proposed one before describing what you would change.

If a drawing or label is unclear, turn that into a question. It is better to ask what a proposed connection would serve than to assume a particular route, entrance or facility has already been agreed.

Build a response around place, use and outcome

Choose one observation you can explain accurately. You might describe a journey you regularly make, a connection you would find useful or a place where you would like to spend time. State the location and circumstances without inventing measurements, user numbers or the experience of other people.

Then explain the outcome you want. A response could ask the designers to consider how a route would accommodate someone using a mobility aid, or how different activities could share a space. Present these as requests for consideration, rather than claims about what the current design provides.

Where priorities compete, explain your reasoning. If you want both space for activity and somewhere quiet, describe why each matters and ask how the design could address them. Separate your own preference from a practical difficulty so the team can understand both.

This survey is an early stage in the process

The council says the feedback will inform further design development, with a view to securing planning approval. Its portal states that a Part 8 planning consultation will take place at that later stage. [2]

Treat the current survey as an opportunity to shape emerging work. It does not establish that planning approval has been granted, that a construction date has been set or that every suggestion will be adopted. Keep an eye on future council notices for the next formal opportunity to respond.

Before submitting, read the privacy information linked from the portal and check what information the form requests. Keep a copy of your own response and any confirmation provided. If you need a different way to contribute, the council announcement includes a postal route and contact details; use that page to confirm the arrangements. [1]

Sources were checked on 12 October 2026. Submit through the council’s official consultation route and recheck the closing details before relying on them.