COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

MOTION NO. 6

MOTION: Councillor T. Gilligan

That the Manager agrees to install a number of water-butts at the Clondalkin Civic Offices and throughout the Clondalkin area to address the lack of water for plants recently installed by the Clondalkin Tidy Towns.

REPORT:

When designing a landscape scheme or undertaking planting of any description, consideration should always be given to the ongoing maintenance of the scheme once it has been completed. This maintenance can include the removal of weeds, replacement of dead plants, removal of litter, feeding plants and watering plants after the initial planting, or if necessary, throughout its lifetime. South Dublin County Council has been working over the last number of years to reduce the maintenance requirements on the civic planting schemes throughout the county and has been substituting high maintenance annual planting schemes with more robust perennial plants. This cuts down on all element of maintenance indicated above, most notably on the necessity to water plants once they have established.

Choosing a suitable site is also of paramount importance when considering watering. With the frequent rainfall in Ireland it is important to locate planting schemes in open areas where they will receive natural watering when it rains and avoid areas which are sheltered e.g. under trees.

While water butts work well in a domestic situation their application in a public environment would raise a number of concerns. Some areas to be considered include: restricting access to bona fide users, ensuring that they are covered at all times to prevent leaves, small animals etc falling in, maintenance, location etc. At this stage there are no current proposals to install water butts in Clondalkin Village however should it be possible to overcome the issues identified consideration will be given to installing a water butt on a trial basis. With this in mind the Public Realm Section would be willing to meet representatives of the Clondalkin Tidy Towns to discuss this proposal and also to discuss a planting scheme in Clondalkin Village that would reduce the high level of maintenance currently required. The goal would be to design a planting scheme that reduces the reliance on the necessity to water.