With another round of Peace Plus funding due to open for calls in early 2022, Sinn Féin Councillor Joanna Byrne has urged Louth County Council pursue this route as a possible source of funding for the Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR).
“Although this funding is primarily used for peace building projects, this next round includes infrastructure project applications which can be considered for the ‘economic development of the programme area” Councillor Byrne said.
Cllr Byrne thinks that the programme area extends beyond the immediate border areas in the North of the County to include the entire catchment zone of the relevant councils, which would cover South Louth under Louth County Council’s remit.
At the monthly meeting of Louth County Council today, Cllr Byrne made an impassioned plea to the Council Executive urging them to explore this avenue.
“The intended programme to be delivered by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) will see a funding stream of €1.1 billion divided over six themes” she said.
“Theme two ‘Delivering Economic Regeneration and Transformation’ will have a €143 million spend and Theme five, ‘Supporting a Sustainable and Better Connected Future’ will have in the region of €265 million to spend.
“If a key objective of this funding is community regeneration and transformation surely there’s an argument for the PANCR to fall into either or both of these themes” Councillor Byrne said.
Cllr Byrne asked if the management team had considered this avenue for funding, or if not, would they do so now.
Chief Executive Joan Martin responded to Cllr Byrne’s suggestion by saying that the amount needed to significantly advance the PANCR would be in the region of €30 million and she was sceptical about Louth County Council would be successful in securing this amount through this type of funding.
Cllr Byrne was adamant however saying that she still wanted the Local Authority to keep an open mind on this and to apply when the call for applications open. The Chief Executive said she consider it when the time came.
