€321 million coming to Laois in three year capital project plan

Laois County Council has announced a big budget for the next three years and where it will spend the money.

Their 2025 to 2027 Indicative Capital Programme totals €321 million, with the bulk of that unsurprisingly going into building new houses. It plans to spend the same sum it did in its last three year budget, €182m.

The next biggest spend is for €36.7m on long awaited flood defence systems in Mountmellick, Portarlington and Clonaslee.

It also has some new projects for Laois, such as tourist facilities on the Rock of Dunamase, a business park on the Avon site in Portarlington, and construction of the vital refuge needed for women and children in abusive homes.

The money is broken down into 12 headings, but the last one - footpath upgrades countywide - has no money allocated. Both the council management and councillors have been asking the Department of Transport to provide a standalone budget to do footpath repairs and upgrades. As yet none exists.

The programme was approved at the December meeting of Laois County Council.

Acting Director of Finance Julie Bergin was keen to point out that "the programme presented before you is an indication of what the council hopes to achieve over the next three year period. It is all dependent on funding."

Independent Cllr James Kelly said the €321 million is dependent on grants of €294 million. He noted that Laois County Council would have to provide €16 or €17 million in matched funding and asked if the council was on target?  Ms Bergin admitted it would be very hard to say what is available.

Laois County Council Chief Executive Michael Rainey admitted it would be "a stretch for Laois to hit everything" in the programme. He noted there was a requirement for matched funding from the council. 

Mr Rainey said there will be a new Programme for Governement and within that Programme for Government will be opportunities that may not be aparent now. 

€295m of the €321m will be paid by the state in grants. Development levies gathered in Laois will fund €3.5m, the council will pay €16.9m out of its own coffers, and a final €6.34m will come from other sources.

First of the headings is housing with €182.4m to be spent on housing construction. The council expects to spend €11.4m buying properties to add to its housing stock, nearly twice as much as its last budget of €6.5m. €1.744m on improving local authority houses, €6.5m on an Energy Efficiency Programme for council houses, €6.9m on the new Affordable Housing grant scheme, and finally €5m to build the Laois Domestic Abuse Refuge.

Flood relief schemes are expected to be built during the three years, with €13.5m on Mountmellick, €19.5m on Portarlington, €3m on Clonaslee and €750,000 on minor works.

Under Economic Development, another €300,000 will be spent finishing off developing the council's J17 National Business Park, and €1.5m will go to develop Portarlington New Business Park on the Avon site.

In Tourism, it will spend €2.5m for tourist attractions at the Rock of Dunamase, Donaghmore Workhouse and elsewhere.

Under Road Transportation and Safety, €12.65m will go into building more cycle lanes, supporting public transport, safe routes to schools, park and stride carparks, E-charging points, traffic managment in Durrow and Portarlington, Mountrath, Mountmellick and Abbeyleix, traffic calming and road crossings in towns and estates, bridge improvements and Low Cost Safety Remedial Schemes.

The fire service will get investment with €1.5m for Rathdowney station and €2m for Stradbally's new station, with €300k for training in stations, and a final €300k for refurbishment of the new Laois Civil Defence headquarters in the old Gings shop in Kea Lew park, Portlaoise.

Urban Regeneration budget will provide €16m for Portlaoise, the only Laois town big enough to qualify for such funding. €12m will go on the Placemaking project to revitalise laneways, €1.9m to develop amenities on Tyrrell's Land, €1.5m on the Cultural Quarter and €0.5m on Low Carbon Town projects.

Rural Regeneration will fund projects in six towns, totalling €11.4m. Portarlington gets €2m with another €400k specifically for Market House and Square regeneration. Borris-in-Ossory courthouse gets €4.2m, as the council begins a complete refurb of the vacant building for community use. Durrow gets €2.23m, Rathdowney and Mountrath €1m apiece and Mountmellick town amenities €500k. 

Burial grounds get just over €1m, and the only library set for capital investment is €250k in an extension for Portarlington.

For Portarlington and Portlaoise leisure centres, there is €4m for SEAI Pathfinder, to cut energy costs. Portarlington's will be retiled and refurbished costing another €2.35m. There is €350k to upgrade the Portlaoise centre, and €425k to improve Laois playgrounds and improve accessibility.

Under climate action, the council intends to spend another million retrofitting public lights. It will spend nearly a million making minor energy improvements in its various buildings, €600k improving facilities in its buildings, and €370k on security and access upgrades in county hall.

Finally in the big €321m spend, Laois County Council expects to spend €10m supporting rural towns and villages in the form of co-funded schemes.