The new National Business Park at the Togher (M7/M8) interchange - which is soon to be renamed the Portlaoise Interchange - is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the town, designated a transport ?hub' by the Department of the Environment in 2002 as part of the National Spatial Strategy.

The first phase of the works, on roads and services, is expected to be completed in August, and the development is set to position Portlaoise as a major growth centre.

The business park concentrates very much on the town's geographic position at the centre of Ireland and will include a vast distribution centre which major companies can use to store and transport goods.

There will also be a fiveacre "Motor City", which is expected to attract all the major car dealerships and become a one-stop magnet for people who are looking for a new car.

The development site takes up about 75 acres, and has attracted a lot of interest with up to �?�7m in sales already.

There are 56 starter business units as well as a variety of industrial units planned.

The business park is being developed by local businessmen Denis Doheny and Fergus Lawlor, as well as Paul Kelly of Coolnaleen Developments.

They bought the site a number of years ago, attracted by its central location and one very interesting statistic - up to 50% of the entire population of Ireland live within 95 minutes' drive of the site.

For firms wanting to set up distribution centres, the National Business Park is regarded as ideal logistically because the main roads to Dublin, Limerick and Cork pass by the site.

The town's designation as a transport hub under the National Spatial Strategy means it will act as a gateway to the rest of the country.

Portlaoise's population now stands at 14,000 and is expected to grow to 20,000 by 2011.