An additional €10.5m in funding has been made available for the Local Improvement Scheme under the ‘Our Rural Future’ policy, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has announced.

The allocation will take the total monies available under the scheme to €21m, doubling the previous budgetary allocation of the scheme which allows rural dwellers to upgrade roads and laneways not maintained by local authorities, the Minister has said.

The roads that will be maintained through this investment are vital for access to homes and farms in rural Ireland

“That is why I am delighted to be in a position to double the level of funding available for the Local Improvement Scheme this year to €21m. The roads that will be maintained through this investment are vital for access to homes and farms in rural Ireland,” Minister Humphreys stated.

The scheme allows for funding to be drawn down by those living in rural communities to improve access to homes, farms and outdoor amenities.

Each individual household or holding’s contribution obligation is capped at €1,200.

Previous improvement scheme

Over 10,000 rural landowners and residents have accessed €60m in Local Improvement Scheme funding so far.

The county-by-county breakdown of the additional allocation has not yet been established by the Department for Rural and Community Development. The regional distribution of the original €10.5m can be found here.

“My department is engaging with each of the local authorities to establish the level of demand that can be met in each county before year end. Once that process is complete, I will announce the specific allocations to be provided to each county from this increased funding,” the Humphreys explained.