COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, November 12, 2012

QUESTION NO. 1

QUESTION: Councillor C. Bond

To ask the Manager to make a statement on how it might improve response times to the following issues:

Overgrown weeds, in fields and other public spaces within the councils remit;

dead or damaged trees posing an immediate threat to property or public safety?

REPLY:

Weeds are not generally a problem in parks, on maintained open spaces nor on road grass margins which are under the maintenance of the Parks Department.

Isolated instances of weed infestation may occur ocassionally on non recreational lands in the ownership of the council. Every effort is made to control this problem in the council's asset management programme.

In relation to dead or damaged trees on roads or lands in charge of the council, such trees are dealt with on a priority basis by council staff. In the case of trees brought to the council's attention through the customer care system, details of  the trees in question are generally referred to staff in the Parks Section who arrange to have the trees assessed. The assessemennt includes an assessement of the risk posed by the tree to public safety and/or property. Where a tree is deemed to be a hazard to public safety, any works deemed necessary to eliminate the hazard are scheduled for attention on a priority basis. Trees in this category are dealt with on a year round basis. Trees that are not deemed to be hazard are dealt with in line with the general Tree Management Programme of the Council.

In the case of trees on private property bounding a public road, the Council has powers under the Roads Acts to take action requiring landowners to deal with trees considered to be a hazard to the safety of road users.