COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, October 17, 2016

QUESTION NO.5

QUESTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

To ask the Chief Executive to outline plans to enhance the management and delivery of public realm maintenance in our County’s Villages?

REPLY:

At present the public realm section carries out daily cleaning in the village centres of Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown, Tallaght, Rathcoole, Rathfarnham and Templeogue.  Cleaning staff are permanently placed and carrying out daily cleaning in each of these centres, two each in both Tallaght and Clondalkin and one each in all other locations.  Following recruitment of staff in June/July of this year additional staff resources have now been assigned to a variety of maintenance works in Tallaght, Clondalkin and Lucan. 

The public realm section is currently examining the maintenance and cleansing needs of each of the centres mentioned as well as the villages of Saggart and Newcastle.  It is proposed that a new approach will be taken to maintenance in central areas with the public realm section taking on responsibility for all issues relating to the general appearance of the area which is to be designated as village centre.  A village maintenance crew will be assigned to each area, the size of crew being determined by the extent of area to be maintained, with the possibility of assigning more than one centre per crew.  The responsibilities of these village crews will include daily cleansing, weekly grass cutting, edging of grass margins, trimming of hedgerows, weed control and removal, maintenance of roundabouts and planted areas, cleaning of street furniture, response to graffiti, maintenance of boundaries where appropriate and other issues as they arise from time to time.  These responsibilities will extend to approach roads to each village with the full range of tasks listed above being attended to on approaches on a programmed basis as well.  Discussions have commenced with the relevant staff regarding the extent of changes required to implement this new approach and it is hoped that this will be brought to an advanced stage by the end of October/start of November.