COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
MOTION NO. 8
MOTION: Councillor J. Lahart
"That the Manager report on the success to date of the Bulbs for Bonfires initiative with particular reference to Rathfarnham."
REPORT:
The purpose of the scheme is to reduce the number of illegal fires in parks and on open spaces across the county by rewarding communities who manage to keep a green space or park, which was damaged by a bonfire in the previous year, free of bonfires in the current year.
The Council received 29 applications under the "Bulbs not Bonfires" scheme in 2010. Of the 29 applications received, the majority (25) did not meet the criteria set down for the scheme and the applications were disallowed for the following reasons:
- 13 applications were from estates where there was no fires in the previous year.
- 7 applications were from areas where there was no reduction in the number of fires.
- 4 applications were from areas which previously had no fires but which had fires in 2010.
- 1 applicant could not be contacted.
The four estates, listed below, had a combined total of 6 small bonfires in 2009 which were prevented from taking place in 2010.
- Whitebrook Park,
- Maplewood Park Springfield Res Association,
- Finnstown Abbey Residents Association,
- Brookfield Environmental Group
Bulb planting in these estates was deferred until January of this year because of the adverse weather conditions experienced at the end of November / December last year.
To date, 8 applications have been received for consideration under the 2011 scheme, none of which meet the criteria and therefore do not qualify.
- 3 of the applications are from areas which did not prevent bonfires this year.
- 5 of the applications are from areas which did not have bonfires in 2010.
No applications have been received, to date, from the Rathfarnham area.
The scheme is open for applications until the 30th of November 2011 and, based on the experience last year when the bulk of the applications were received in the weeks after 31st October, it is anticipated that more applications will be made between now and the end of the month.