Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

326. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to provide funding to extend the Clane ring road in County Kildare, in view of the increased number of housing units being developed in the town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16442/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I assume the Deputy is referring to the recent announcement of funding under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF). The aim of LIHAF is to relieve critical infrastructural blockages in order to enable the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites in urban areas with high demand for housing.  

A call for proposals was issued to all local authorities in August 2016. It was open to all local authorities to apply for funding towards the capital cost of the public infrastructure, which when provided, would secure the early delivery of additional affordable housing at considerable scale, with developments in excess of 500 units in the Dublin area, or in excess of 200 units in areas outside Dublin.

21 local authorities submitted a total of 74 proposals in October 2016. Kildare County Council submitted 7 proposals in respect of Naas, Kildare, Maynooth, Newbridge, Celbridge, Leixlip and Sallins. No proposal was received in respect of extending the Clane ring road and the funding of roads in general is a matter for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and its agencies.

On 28 March 2017, I announced funding for 34 projects under LIHAF. The cost of these projects is €226.46 million, of which €169.65 million would be funded under LIHAF, with local authorities funding the remaining €56.81 million. These public infrastructure projects will be key to the delivery of 23,000 housing units over the next four years, with a longer term projection of up to 70,000 units as the selected sites are fully built out. Kildare County Council received approval for the proposals at Maynooth, Naas and Sallins, which have an aggregate allocation of €21.4 million.