Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Ardee Castle project was approved for funding of €2,147,000 under the first call for Category 1 projects to the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) in 2018. The lead party for the project is Louth County Council. Given that funding was allocated some five years ago, I am disappointed with the delays in work getting underway on this important project.The project will restore and redevelop the Ardee Castle building located in the centre of the town into a visitor attraction and a central information, interpretation and orientation hub.As the building is a 15th century national monument, specific consent was required under the National Monuments Act in order to progress the project. This request was submitted to the National Monument Service accordingly, and in December 2023 consent was approved for the works to Ardee Castle. I understand that Louth County Council will proceed with the tender for the works in Quarter 1 of 2024. The estimated timeline for commencing works on site is at the end of Quarter 2 of 2024. My Department will obviously have to consider the lengthy delay in delivering this particular project when making any future allocations to Louth County Council under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.