COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

QUESTION NO. 5

QUESTION: Councillor G. O'Connell

To ask the Manager for a report on progress in securing the Kennelsfort Road/Coppice and Wheatfield Road/Oak Court laneways and on the operation of the cleaning rota for all laneways in Palmerstown and to include in his answer what is/will be done about the Graffiti.

REPLY:

A pilot laneway cleaning programme for the Palmerston area was presented as a Headed Item  to the Lucan Area Committee on 25th March 2014. Works recently commenced on cleaning of the laneways starting with the laneway between Wheatfield and Oak Court Estates. To date, over 5 tonnes of waste and dumped material has been removed from this laneway alone. Following the initial cleanup, each of the laneways will then be cleaned at six weekly intervals. The removal of graffiti from private property is normally a matter for the owners of the property concerned. 

In relation to securing the laneways, the Roads Department reported under Motion 19 to the March Meeting of the Lucan Area Committee as follows:

The power conferred on a Road Authority to declare a road to be a public road is contained under Section 11 of the Roads Act 1993, which states,  "A Road Authority may, by order, declare any road over which a Public Right of Way exists to be a Public Road, and every such road shall be deemed to be a Public Road and responsibility for its maintenance shall lie on the road authority."

The definition of Road in this Act includes "any street, lane, footpath, square, court, alley or passage."

The laneways in Palmerston which have been discussed at several recent meetings of this committee namely
a) Laneway between Kennelsfort Road and The Coppice
b) Laneway between Wheatfield Road and Oak Court
are in charge of the Council and as such are Public Rights of Way for the benefit of local residents and the public at large.

Under Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1994, the Council is empowered to install measures to restrict or control access to a laneway by mechanically propelled vehicles such restriction is normally achieved by the installation of bollards as is the case with the laneway between Kennelsfort and The Coppice.

The Roads Department is examining the matter and will be report back to a future meeting of the Committee.