COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

MOTION NO. 3

MOTION: Councillor P. Cosgrave

Cathaoirleach's Business

"That the Manager give an update on when work will commence on the agreed thinning out of the wooded area behind Brookvale, Church Lane, Rathfarnham Village".

REPORT:

The following report was presented to the Rathfarnham Area Committee Meeting in March 2012 in response to Motion 8

"MOTION: Councillor P. Cosgrave

Cathaoirleach's Business

"That the Manager ask the Parks Department to give a report on what works will be required to stop anti-social behaviour from youngsters at the wooded hill area below Brookvale down to the R112 near the green area at Woodview Cottages. There is a well worn path to the rear of Brookvale where anti-social behaviour takes place. The gardens of the houses at Brookvale are also being abused. Could the Manager include in a works program.

• The digging up of the well worn path.
• The planting of thorny plants to stop further incursions."

REPORT:

Anti social activity is an unfortunate fact of modern life. Sometimes the anti social activity is unintended as for example where teenagers gather in areas away from pubic view. At other times it is deliberate and vindictive.

However, in many cases, the areas where this behaviour occurs is often to the side and /or rear of housing where there is limited overlooking of the space and passive supervision, by passing pedestrian and vehicular traffic. People congregating in this way generally engage in a range of anti-social behaviours including casual vandalism, drinking and sometimes drug taking, grafitti, littering, lighting fires, burning wheel bins as well as generating considerable levels of noise.

It is the Council's experience that much of this type of behaviour takes place under cover of darkness and that the people involved are usually from the immediate locality. Once an area becomes established as a popular location for gatherings, it is very difficult to displace such gatherings by landscape works alone. New plantings generally do not survive the constant trampling or deliberate damage that occurs and new trails and tracks generally emerge quite quicly where an existing track has been successfully disrupted or blocked off.

The response of the Council to such problems is threefold:

• Liaise with the local Community
• Liaise with the local Gardaí
• Local works such as thinning of vegetation which may be facilitating cover for such gatherings.

In the current situation, the area will be reviewed with the Gardaí and representatives from the local community to determine what measures can be taken by all three parties, working together, to reduce the problems being experienced by the residents".

Since the March ACM meeting local residents have submitted documentation in relation to the issue and have requested a meeting with representatives of the Parks Section.  This meeting is being arranged and in relation to the Report to the March 2012 ACM the Gardaí will also be invited to attend the meeting with the local residents.  In relation to when the thinning out of the woodland will commence: this matter will be discussed at the planned meeting with the residents but any thinning that may be agreed with the residents would normally be undertaken from September to March to align with the requirement of the Wildlife Acts not to interfere with bird nesting areas from 1^st March to 31^st  August in any year.

Following the meeting with the residents, the Elected Members will be briefed on the outcome.