COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

MOTION NO. 8

MOTION: Councillor A.M. Dermody

"That the Manager discuss having caused an inspection of the trees **address supplied, the trees in question are extremely high with Residents concerned that this particular specie of beech tree does not have very deep roots and that there is a concern that these trees might be susceptible to falling down during episodes of high winds.  The Residents say that because of the height of the trees it would be prohibitive from a cost perspective for the Residents to take on this task of pruning.  The Residents also specifically ask that the trees be pruned and not  removed altogether and if there could be an overall assessment by the Manager of all other trees in the estate to ensure that same are safe.  The Residents say that the estate is close on 20 years old and has never had the benefit of such an assessment by the Council."

REPORT:

The line of beech trees along the area in question, have recently been inspected and were generally found to be in a good condition. These trees were originally planted as a linear hedge by the previous owners of the site and the hedge was retained as part of the grant of planning permission and incorporated into the layout of the development. The beech hedge was already quite tall prior to the construction of any houses on the site.  The individual trees within the hedge have now grown to be very tall and have spread in width and would benefit from some height reduction and pruning, to reduce any possible wind stress during stormy weather conditions. The trees will be inspected in detail in the coming weeks and a specific  programme of work formulated to deal with the concerns of the residents, whilst at the same time ensuring the preservation of this important planting. A full assessment of the remaining trees within the estate will also be carried out to identify any possible safety issues which may exist. The trees in this estate are a very important feature in the locality and the Brookwood estate is a good example of successful tree protection within a residential development, which has taken into account existing site features.