COUNCILLORS have called on the Limerick City and County Council executive to provide additional details on the €305 million capital programme for infrastructural projects over the next two years.
The programme allows for expenditure of €137.677 million for housing, €106.087 million for roads and transportation and €51.350 million for economic development.
Among the schemes covered in the programme are: The Opera Site redevelopment, Regeneration projects, Limerick Smarter Travel, the LEDP Innovation Hub, and the proposed €18 million footbridge for Limerick city.
It also includes funding allocations for several major roads upgrades such as the N69 Foynes to Limerick road, the N20 O’Rourke’s Cross improvement works, the Mungret Village upgrade and improvements to Parnell Street.
Some of the funding for capital programme projects included in the Limerick 2030 economic and development plan will come from a €32 million loan secured by the council late in 2014, which will have to be repaid in annual instalments of €1.7 million over the course of 30 years.
Anti-Austerity Alliance councillor John Loftus claimed there was “a real lack of detail in terms of explaining the costs of various planned projects”.
Fianna Fáil councillor James Collins said he supported the investment into Limerick city and county, but that he wants “to make sure that we get value for the money we have invested and receive an acceptable rate of return for the citizens of Limerick”.
According to a council spokesperson, capital projects “are designed to be completed over a number of years, and only indicative sums are mentioned in the capital budget”.
