COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE (1)
Monday, April 23, 2012
QUESTION NO. 11
QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney
"To ask the Manager for a report on grafitti removal and reporting for the area under the remit of this Committee, broken down to the lowest level available, and to make a statement on the progress being made in dealing with this problem?"
REPLY:
To date in 2012 there have been 53 reports of graffiti received in relation to this Committee's area. Of these, 35 have been removed by the Council's Graffiti Removal Crew, the Probation Services or through enforcement as appropriate. The locations at which graffiti has been removed are as follows:
| Wall at Dodder valley Park, Old Bawn Rd. |
| Walkway to Spawell |
| Mast at Tymon Park |
| Old Bawn Road |
| Ballycullen Road/Drive |
| Maplewood Park |
| Walls at Cookstown |
| Castlefield Avenue |
| Wall opposite Kiltalown Park |
| M50 walkways |
| Tymonville |
| St. James' Road |
| Old Bawn Road |
| Ambervale |
| Cookstown Way |
| Ard Mor Green |
| New road between Belgard/Cookstown |
| Blessington Road |
| N81 (Raheen/Maplewood) |
| Laneway at redwood Court |
| Laneway at St Joseph's Road |
| Belgard Green |
| Kiltalown park |
| Sundale Close |
| M50 Walkways |
| Birchwood/Fernwood |
| Daletree Drive |
| Hazelgrove |
| Kilnamanagh Pitches |
| Glencarrig Drive |
| New link road Cookstown |
| Old Court Close |
| Killininey Road |
| Ely estate |
| Old Bawn Road |
There are 16 locations where complaints about graffiti have been received and which are scheduled to be inspected/treated as necessary as follows:
| Belgard Heights |
| Hazelgrove |
| Russell Meadows |
| Russell Square/Lawns |
| Ballycullen Drive |
| New Embankment Road at Alpine Rise/Belgard Height |
| Brookfield Court |
| Sean Walsh Park |
| Bancroft Grove |
| Cairnwood Court |
| Alpine Rise |
| Ard Mor Drive |
| Greenhills Road |
| St James' Road |
| Donomore Crescent |
| School boundary walls, Greenhills |
In addition, two further locations are currently subject of enforcement investigation.
The Council continues to provide a range of responses to graffiti in the County with information about graffiti prevention and awareness forming part of the Council's Environmental Awareness role with both community groups and schools and, as part of the Litter Management Plan 2011-2014, ongoing campaigns highlight the role everyone plays in keeping the county clean including an anti-graffiti message. The Environmental Awareness team also continue to distribute Anti-Graffiti grants throughout the County annually.
In addition, the Council’s Graffiti programme incorporates the existing resources provided by the Council's Graffiti Removal Crew and Anti-Litter Wardens, together with a pilot initiative with the Probation Services in dealing with reported graffiti to provide a prompt response to removing graffiti where required.
These various aspects provide a broad approach to tackling graffiti but it should be noted that the eradication of this problem will require the long-term application of these and similar projects to ultimately create a cultural change.
When a report of graffiti is received, the local Litter Warden will inspect the location and determine whether the graffiti is on public or private property. Where graffiti is on private property, it is the responsibility of the owner/occupier to remove it although the Litter Warden may assist by providing advice and/or materials. If graffiti is on public property, treatment is dependant on the surface it is on. The Graffiti Removal Crew apply paint or cement to walls in public areas to remove graffiti while the Probation Services staff are provided with graffiti removal chemicals supplied by the Council and their available staff apply the chemicals and wash off graffiti where possible.
The Council's Graffiti Removal Crew currently comprises a supervisor and two staff and this is supplemented by the arrangement with the Probation Services whereby they provide an additional crew comprising one supervisor and up to five men on two days per week.