€340k in funding for rural road and lane repairs

Funding of €340,500 has been announced by Minister Heather Humphreys today (Tuesday) for repairs and improvement works on our rural roads and laneways in Meath.

The funding is part of €11 million announced for rural roads across the country.

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

The funding represents an increase of €500,000 on the initial 2021 allocation,

Minister Humphreys said: “I’m pleased to announce €11 million in funding which will improve hundreds of our rural roads and laneways across the country.

“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 such as lakes, rivers and beaches.

“Since the scheme was reintroduced in 2017, over, 3,000 roads have been funded for repair works. This has made a real difference to the lives of over 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”.