€1.24bn capital plan sets out major investment across Meath

Meath County Council has approved a €1.24 billion capital investment programme for the period 2026 to 2028, setting out planned spending on housing, transport, environmental services, recreation and economic development across the county.

The programme was presented to the full council at its February meeting and is heavily dependent on central Government funding.

Housing accounts for the largest share of the investment, with €775 million allocated to housing and building projects over the three-year period. The funding is intended to support major council housing developments in growth areas including Navan, Ashbourne and Ratoath, alongside affordable and cost-rental housing, land acquisition, regeneration projects and energy retrofitting of existing stock.

Road transportation and safety projects form the second-largest area of expenditure, with €237 million allocated between 2026 and 2028. This includes funding for strategic road schemes, housing activation roads, junction upgrades and safety improvements.

Among the major projects referenced in the programme are continued funding provisions for the Slane Bypass, works on the N2 Slane to Rath improvement scheme and strategic road infrastructure to support housing growth in Navan, Ratoath and Dunboyne. Almost €98 million is earmarked for strategic housing-related road schemes aimed at unlocking residential development.

Active travel projects also feature prominently, with more than €54 million allocated to greenways, cycling infrastructure, footpath improvements and safer routes to schools. Environmental services will receive €71.8 million, covering climate action initiatives, flood relief works, burial ground extensions, fire service facilities and coastal protection measures.

Recreation and amenity projects account for €92.6 million, including investment in parks, playgrounds, sports facilities, libraries, town and village renewal schemes and tourism-related infrastructure. A further €23.7 million is allocated to development management and economic development, while €40.8 million is set aside for miscellaneous services including council offices, depot upgrades, fleet replacement and IT systems.

Council officials stressed that while the plan sets out intended investment, the delivery of individual projects remains subject to funding approvals, detailed design work and statutory processes.

While councillors broadly described the programme as ambitious, concerns were raised during the meeting about how funding is distributed at local level.

Fine Gael councillor Sharon Tolan said she was “deeply disappointed” with the plan, claiming that more than €3.5 million in development levies previously committed to the Laytown–Bettystown municipal district had been removed.

“This is the first capital plan in my 12 years as an elected member that I have been deeply disappointed with,” Cllr Tolan said. “This programme does not reflect fairness or balance, and it does not reflect the commitments that were made to the people of East Meath in the last capital plan.”

She said councillors in the area had worked constructively with the executive over a number of years to prioritise key infrastructure projects, with levies allocated on the understanding that they would be used to deliver those schemes.

“Today we are being asked to welcome a capital programme in which previously committed levies totalling €3.575 million have been removed from the plans for our district,” she said, warning that projects such as the Bryanstown Link Road, Julianstown traffic management scheme and community facilities in Laytown and Seafield were now at risk.

Cllr Tolan said removing previously committed funding undermined confidence in the council’s capital planning process and represented a failure to honour commitments made to one of the county’s fastest-growing areas.

Responding to the criticism, Director of Services Fiona Lawless said the capital programme must remain flexible to reflect changing funding streams, project readiness and statutory requirements.

She said inclusion in a capital plan does not always equate to immediate delivery and stressed that investment decisions must be considered on a county-wide basis, particularly in the context of housing demand, available funding and Government grant allocations.

Council officials reiterated that the programme sets out planned investment rather than guaranteed delivery and that projects will continue to be assessed and prioritised as funding becomes available.