Over €370k to fix local laneways

There's a long waiting list for works in Cavan.

Seamus Enright

Published: Tue 5 Apr 2022, 11:01 AM

Over €370,000 has been allocated to Cavan County Council for repairs and improvement works on rural roads and laneways under the Local Improvement Scheme.

The funding was announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys on Tuesday (April 5) and will make a dent in the 242 LIS applications currently on the council's books, 128 of which were still unassessed as of the start of 2022.

The funding represents an increase of €500,000 on the initial 2021 allocation, with each county receiving an increase in their allocation, according to Minister Humphreys.With this additional funding, over €90 million has been allocated to local authorities under the LIS since the scheme was re-introduced 2017.

"Local connectivity is vital for rural communities. Our Rural Future clearly recognises this. The Local Improvement Scheme is an important source of funding for small non-public roads and laneways leading to homes and farms or to amenities," she said.

It is estimated that over €11 million is needed to complete works on all laneways currently on the LIS waiting list in Cavan.

Cavan received over €1.1 million in funding under the scheme last year in what was the county’s highest ever allocation.

It saw works carried out on 22 laneways in 2021. Applicants cannot reapply to the scheme for a period of 10-15 years after their lane has been resurfaced.

Along with €371,140 allocated to Cavan County Council, a sum of €351,880 has been granted to neighbouring Monaghan County Council.

Allocation of € 371,000 to @cavancoco under LIS is very poor & disappointing to those waiting for years on the list. Hopefully a more substantial allocation will be forthcoming later in the year. @theanglocelt @NewsonNS @theNSMonaghan @LeitrimLive @OceanFmIreland
— John Paul Feeley‎ (@JohnPaulFeeley) April 5, 2022

Minister Humphreys acknowledged that there remains a "strong demand" for LIS funding remains across the country. "In some counties, local authorities have significant levels of applications on hand. My priority is to continue to fund the works on roads leading to agricultural holdings given their importance for farm families and our agriculture sector," she added. "I would urge each local authority to utilise the funding announced today, and complete the repair works on the selected roads as soon as possible.

The latest LIS allocation for Cavan and Monaghan was also welcomed by Fianna Fail's Brendan Smith, but he said that a "far greater level" of funding is needed to tackle the backlog in applications. "Unfortunately the government in 2012 abolished the specific funding stream for the Local Improvement Scheme from the Department of Transport. In the meantime serious delays have occurred in having these necessary improvement works carried out."