COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM/TEMPLEOGUE-TERENURE AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, June 09, 2015

QUESTION NO. 3

QUESTION: Councillor J. Lahart

"To ask the Chief Executive to arrange to have graffiti removed from the boundary wall of Ashton estate as it fronts out on to the Templeroan Road in Knocklyon please?"

REPLY:

It is a criminal offence to deface property with graffiti, and it is a requirement of Section 20 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 for property owners to remedy defacement.

The Council's management of graffiti complaints and requests for removal is well documented.   When a complaint about graffiti is received, the location concerned is inspected to determine if the graffiti is on public or private property.   

If the graffiti is on public property, the Council arranges for removal. Depending on the type of surface involved the Council endeavours to have it removed by the use of chemicals or by painting over it, either through direct labour or through the Probation Service with whom it has a specific arrangement.   If the graffiti is on private property, the owner of the property is written to and requested to remove it as soon as possible.

The location in question forms a long line of private boundary walls and as such is the responsibility of those owners.

In the interest of improving the aesthetics of the county, inward investment and tourism promotion, and as part of the development of the new Litter Management Plan, extensive discussion has taken place with a Joint SPC Sub-committee on how problems with graffiti on private property, particularly where it faces onto public places, might be addressed. 

In order that there is clarity in relation to how complaints and requests for graffiti removal are assessed, a draft protocol is being prepared and will be appended to the Draft Litter Management Plan which will be the subject of a public consultation process commencing next week.