Westmeath to get €350k for local roads and lanes

Westmeath is to get €358,320 of €11 million for upgrade works on rural roads and lanes announced today.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, announced the allocation this morning.

This funding, under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), will support the continued improvement of non-public roads and lanes that are not normally maintained by local authorities.

The department said that such roads are vital infrastructure for rural residents – providing access to homes and farms, as well as outdoor amenities such as lakes, rivers or beaches.

The funding represents an increase of €500,000 on the initial 2021 allocation, and counties receive increases in their allocations accordingly.

With this additional funding, over €90 million has now been allocated to local authorities under the Local Improvement Scheme since it was re-introduced 2017.

Minister Humphreys said: “Local connectivity is vital for rural communities, and Our Rural Future clearly recognises this. The Local Improvement Scheme is an important source of funding for small non-public roads and lanes leading to homes and farms or to amenities such as lakes, rivers and beaches.

“Since the scheme was reintroduced in 2017, more than 3,000 roads have been funded for repair works. This has made a real difference to the lives of 13,000 landowners and residents in rural Ireland.

“I acknowledge that strong demand for this 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.

“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.

“I am delighted that the first year of implementing Our Rural Future has seen great progress across a range of initiatives and supports for rural Ireland. Today’s announcement is further evidence of the strong commitment of my Department to making a real difference in rural Ireland.”

The allocation to each county under the LIS for 2022 is set out below. Local authorities are responsible for identifying and prioritising roads for improvement works under the scheme, in consultation with residents and landowners.

The funding provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development will be complemented by a local financial contribution from landowners/householders, as well as local authority resources.

There will be a cap of €1,200 on the amount that any individual householder or landowner will be asked to contribute towards the cost of repairs to their road.

2022 (ROADS) LOCAL IMPROVEMENT SCHEME

Carlow €351,880

Cavan €371,140

Clare €582,690

Cork €879,099

Donegal €716,560

Galway €958,831

Kerry €704,030

Kildare €351,880

Kilkenny €390,790

Laois €351,880

Leitrim €351,880

Limerick €485,970

Longford €351,880

Louth €351,880

Meath €340,500

Monaghan €351,880

Offaly €380,760

Roscommon €456,990

Sligo €358,030

Tipperary €644,070

Waterford €92,910

Westmeath €358,320

Wexford €431,760

Wicklow €384,390

Totals €11,000,000