Committee agree policy for LIS rural roads scheme in Mayo

A POLICY document for the administration and construction of Local Improvement Schemes (LIS) on rural roads has been agreed by Mayo County Council's roads and sustainable travel strategic policy committee (SPC).

It sets out a range of points in relation to applications, payment of local contributions, and having secondary listed projects ready to go to the department if a scheme doesn't progress.

There was a request for an addition to the policy - that larger road schemes be permitted to be carried out on a phased basis over a number of years.

Councillor Patsy O'Brien was concerned that there are higher priced jobs that they can't get done. They shouldn't be debarred from doing parts of a road through LIS one year and continuing it on in future years, and he sought a commitment on this.

Ballina Councillor Annie May Reape said there was a major project in her area last year and all councillors joined together and got it done from end to end.

Members were told sections can present problems. For example, if there were 10 landowners on a road and you do the first third, when you return two or three years later the people whose section was sorted will be wondering why they're paying in again.

Acting head of roads Conrad Harley said the document doesn't say you have to do a full road. The discretion is there.

Including the line requested caused him fear about interpretation; that you can jump in and do a few potholes and not do the road properly, and that didn't benefit anyone.

Director of services Tom Gilligan said LIS has significant merit and a lot of positives.

After discussion, wording was put forward that in exceptional situations a road may be completed over consecutive years once agreement is received from adjacent land owners.

*Published under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.