LIS funding to cover 21 lanes in Cavan and Monaghan

More than €900,000 has been awarded to counties Cavan and Monaghan under the Local Improvement Scheme as part of €17.6M allocated last week.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary approved €527,400 for County Cavan and €385,880 for County Monaghan for repairs and improvement works on private laneways and cul de sacs under the scheme.

Cavan Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith has welcomed the news saying that the scheme provides vital infrastructure to allow people access homes, farms and businesses in rural Ireland.

“The Local Improvement Scheme is extremely important for many families living in rural areas. Indeed it is a scheme that needs more investment as there were a number of years when there was very little funding provided for these essential road works,” he said.

Under the scheme, residents and landowners living along the lanes must contribute 10%–15% of the total project cost upfront. This is typically capped at €1,200 per household.

“Farmers and homeowners who use a laneway to access parts of their land can make a small contribution to the improvement and the scheme provides the rest. This ensures that they can access their homes on better quality roads,” remarked Senator Joe O’Reilly (FG) last week in welcoming the funding.

A backlog, however, exists in many counties nationwide. It goes back to 2012 when funding for the scheme was halted as a result of the recession and public roads were prioritised.

The scheme was subsequently reintroduced in 2017. Since then, over €201M has been allocated to local authorities for projects under the scheme.

Some local authorities, however, stopped taking applications until the backlog is cleared. This is not the case in Cavan and Monaghan.

There are currently 279 projects in County Cavan approved and waiting funding, which would take around €12M to clear the backlog.

Cavan County Council has welcomed its latest allocation of over half a million euro from the Department.

“It is expected that approximately nine lanes can be completed with this allocation, but this may vary based on the length and complexity of the lanes in question,” a spokesperson said.

Monaghan County Council has also welcomed the funding. A spokesperson told the Celt: “With this year’s funding, we estimate 10-12 lanes to be completed.

The local authority further revealed that it had received over 307 applications for the 2024/2025 period. “All applications were assessed against the Department’s strict qualifying criteria. This assessment process has now been completed, and 154 lanes have been deemed eligible for funding,” said a spokesperson.

Local authorities are responsible for identifying and prioritising roads for improvement works under the scheme, in consultation with residents/landowners.

Cavan Monaghan Fine Gael TD, David Maxwell, has also welcomed the money.

“This funding will see our laneways and non-public roads receive improved access to homes, farms and outdoor amenities.

“This scheme is a vital source of funding for non-public roads that are not normally maintained by local authorities.”