The Irish Department of the Environment has allocated €540,000 for realignment and widening of First Sea Road in Sligo.

The announcement was made at the December monthly meeting of Sligo Borough Council, but it is not yet known when work will commence.

Also in the news is the controversial Eastern Bridge project in Sligo that has been put back in the Sligo Development Plan.

The Minister for Housing had given the council until the end of 2010 to approve the Bridge project, or else risk losing a potential €120 million in funding for the regeneration of the Eastern quadrant of the town.

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At an emergency meeting was called on Wednesday 22 December, 2010 by Sligo Borough Council to include the bridge back into the Development Plan. The vote was passed by the narrowest of margins of six to five.

Sligo County Council is also planning to carry out dredging at Mullaghmore to remove a sandbank that has built up at the entrance to the harbour in 2011.

The news comes after boat users in the north Sligo village expressed concern about the build-up of sand and said it could lead to a tragedy.

Sligo County Council has now received a grant of €90,000 to carry out the work.

Recently, the Council announced that it had applied to Minister of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley for a licence under the Foreshore Act to dredge/excavate sand build-up between the breakwater pontoon and harbour at Mullaghmore Harbour.

The licence will allow for the dredged sand to be deposited on the upper beach at nearby Bunduff Beach.

The new breakwater and pontoon jetty were provided as part of major improvements works carried out at the harbour in 2002 and 2003 at a cost of €1.27 million.

(BMcC/GK)