Funding possibility for Port Access road
THE Port Access Route could see a funding boost thanks to funding of €50 million which is due to come on stream under The Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF).
The funding is part of budget 2018 and will be subject to match funding of 25% by local authorities.
The Minister for Housing Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy confirmed that a further call for proposals under LIHAF is likely early in 2018 and will be open to all local authorities, including Louth County Council (LCC), to submit new projects or resubmit previously unsuccessful projects, such as the Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR) project in Drogheda, for consideration.
The Minister was responding to a parliamentary question from Deputy Fergus O’Dowd who asked if funding would be made available through the LIHAF to progress the PANCR.
An application for funding for the Port Acess Route was submitted to LIHAF in October 2016.
The call for proposals was open to all local authorities to apply for funding towards the capital cost of public infrastructure, which, when provided, would secure the early delivery of additional housing at considerable scale and more affordable price points.
A total of 74 proposals were submitted for funding from 21 local authorities and of these, 34 were successful.
Louth County Council submitted three projects for consideration under LIHAF.
LIHAF funding was approved for an access road in Newtown, Drogheda in the amount of €1.22m and an access road in Mount Avenue, Dundalk in the amount of €3.3m.
However, while the Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR) in Drogheda was one of a number of proposals that was assessed as meriting funding, it was not possible to include the project in the March 2017 approvals, within the overall level of funding available.
It is hoped that the project may be successful in the 2019 round of funding.