Additional €364K in funding for local roads and laneways in Louth announced

Louth County Council has been allocated an additional €364,298 in funding for local roads and laneways in 2025 under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), it was announced today.

This funding is in addition to the already allocated €373,479 this year, bringing the total for Louth in 2025, to €737,777. It is part of a national additional funding package of €14 million distributed across 24 counties under LIS Scheme. Allocations per county have been based on the level of work each local authority indicated could be completed by the year’s end.

The LIS is designed to support the continued improvement of non-public roads in rural communities and improves access to rural homes and farms, as well as outdoor amenities such as our lakes, rivers, mountains and beaches. These roads and laneways are not normally maintained by locally authorities, however they represent a vital piece of infrastructure for rural residents.

1. Non- public roads providing access to parcels of land, of which, two or more are owned or occupied by different persons, one of which must be for agricultural/harvesting purposes, and
2. Non-public roads leading to important community amenities such as graveyards, beaches, piers, mountains, etc. 

1. Roads serving only houses or buildings occupied or used by persons not engaged in Agriculture, and
2. Roads leading to commercial enterprises.

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The news has been welcomed by local councillors and TDs. Ardee representative, Cllr Dolores Minogue, said that she was "delighted to receive this news for Louth. This additional funding under the Local Improvement Scheme will directly benefit rural communities across Louth, including areas like Mid-Louth where we have a particularly high number of smaller, non-public roads.

"These routes are vital for local residents, farmers and community access, and I expect this investment will support much-needed upgrades in those areas.”

Welcoming the news, Louth Fianna Fáil TD, Erin McGreehan said, "We must continue to invest in our non-public roads across our country. Access to rural homes and farms, alongside the access to outdoor amenities here across Louth is crucial for our county and this substantial funding will help enhance the accessibility to those amenities for locals and visitors alike.

“This investment announced today will improve access to rural homes, farms and outdoor amenities across Louth. This will be most welcome news by the people of County Louth and improve their accessibility across the county."