Almost every rural parish has one: a lane serving three or four houses and a few fields that has not been touched in twenty years, because it is nobody's legal responsibility. This is the scheme for that road.
It is worth knowing the qualifying shapes below, because the rule is about who the road serves, not who owns it.
Quick facts
- What it funds
- Improvement works on private and non-publicly maintained roads
- Who runs it
- Your local authority, funded by the Department
- Farm access
- Two or more landowners, at least one agricultural
- Harvesting
- Turf or seaweed access for two or more people
- Amenities
- Roads to lakes, rivers or beaches
- First step
- Contact your local authority
What it is
"The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) provides funding to help local authorities carry out improvement works on private and non-publicly maintained roads."
The money goes to the council, not to you. What you are doing is getting your road onto the council's list.
Which roads qualify
Four shapes, and a road only needs to fit one.
"to parcels of land, of which two or more are owned or occupied by different persons, one of which must be for agricultural purposes, or"
"for harvesting purposes (including turf or seaweed) for two or more persons, or"
"to at least one parcel of land owned or occupied by a person engaged in agricultural activities, AND which separately provides access for harvesting purposes (including turf or seaweed) for at least one other person, or"
"for amenities such as lakes, rivers or beaches."
That last one is the most overlooked. A rough track down to a beach or a lake shore can qualify on amenity grounds alone, with no farming involved at all.
How to get on the list
"If you have a non-public road in need of repair that is not being maintained, please contact your local authority to determine if LIS funding would be available."
In practice councils keep a waiting list and work through it as allocations arrive, so the useful thing is to be on it. If neighbours along the same road each assume somebody else has reported it, nobody has — one call settles that.
Common questions
What is the Local Improvement Scheme?
A scheme that provides funding to help local authorities carry out improvement works on private and non-publicly maintained roads — the lanes and bog roads that are not maintained by the council.
Which roads qualify?
Roads serving two or more parcels of land in different ownership where at least one is agricultural; roads used for turf or seaweed harvesting by two or more people; a combination of the two; or roads providing access to amenities such as lakes, rivers or beaches.
Does it have to be a farm road?
No. A road providing access to an amenity such as a lake, river or beach can qualify on that basis alone.
How do I apply?
You do not apply for the money yourself. Contact your local authority to determine whether LIS funding would be available for your road.