Longford County Council has defended its handling of funding for major housing infrastructure.
Earlier this week, local Senator Joe Flaherty said he was "perplexed" and "beyond dumbfounded" that the local authority did not apply for the Government's Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund.
The local authority says recent criticism does not "reflect the facts."
It says work has been underway since July last year to prepare a major housing activation project for Longford town.
The proposed Abbeycartron Distributor Road "would unlock land with the potential for around one thousand new homes."
The statement continues by saying the council did not apply for the first round of the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund because the project could not meet the scheme's 2028 completion deadline.
Instead, the local authority said it secured fifty thousand euro from the Department of Transport to progress feasibility studies and technical planning.
It says that work will "strengthen its application for the next funding round."
Concluding, Longford County Council says it is progressing its first affordable housing scheme in almost twenty years.
It says it remains focused on increasing housing supply through strategic infrastructure and mixed-tenure housing developments across the county.
