Approval issued from my Department on 23 November 1993 to South Dublin County Council's preliminary engineering report in respect of the Fonthill Road to Nangor Road section of the Newlands/Fonthill Road scheme. As the proposed road would be a non-national road, decisions on the timing of construction and funding are matters primarily for the County Council. I understand that the estimated cost of the project exceeds £6 million and that the Council is not in a position at present to finance the project from its own resources supplemented by the discretionary grant paid annually by my Department.
It will be open to the Council to apply for funding for the scheme in due course under the EU co-financed scheme of specific grants for improvement works on non-national roads which are important for employment and economic activity. The Council's funding priorities in 1995 were Firhouse Road, Stage 3 and Nangor/Fox & Geese, Stage 3. I have allocated specific grants totalling £2,627,172 to meet anticipated expenditure on these projects this year.
Work is due to commence shortly on the Boot Road to Newlands Cross section of the Newlands/Fonthill Road scheme on the basis that the Council will seek recoupment from grants in 1996.
