COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE
Monday, October 24, 2016
QUESTION NO. 27
QUESTION: Councillor C. McCann
"To ask the Chief Executive to provide a report detailing the updated timetable for the removal of poplar trees located on N81 at Glenview?"
REPLY:
"In October 2015, an independent arborist was commissioned to assess the condition of trees located along the boundary of Glenview Park with the N81 road and to make recommendations on the future management of the trees.
The tree survey included c.120 trees, the majority being Poplar species, with each tree being individually assessed and tagged with a reference no.
Two Tree Management options were proposed as follows:
- Option 1 -To remove all the trees in one go and to carry out replanting with a more appropriate tree species.
- Option 2 - To remove the trees on a phased basis and to carry out new tree planting in a similar phased basis as the trees are removed.
In order to inform local elected representatives and the residents of Glenview Park, two meetings were arranged to present the findings of the survey and discuss the options for future management of the trees. On March 9th, a meeting was arranged with the Tallaght Area Elected Members at County Hall and on April 26th, a public meeting was held at St. Aengus Community Centre to which all residents of Glenview Park were invited to attend via a notification dropped into the letterbox of each household. The public meeting was attended by over 50 residents and a number of Elected Members for the Tallaght area. A presentation was made at each meeting outlining the findings of tree survey, the proposed management options and proposed action to include planting options. A show of hands indicated the majority of people in attendance at the public meeting on April 26th were in favour of removing all the trees at once and replanting. An indicative timeframe was given for the removal of the trees in July 2016.
A report was presented at a meeting of the Tallaght Area Committee on June 27th, 2016 outlining the process to date and the proposed action in accordance with the outcome of the public meeting on April 26th.
Subsequent to that meeting, further representations were made to the Council expressing particular concerns in regard to the visual impact of removing all of the trees in one go. The matter was reviewed and a decision was made to proceed instead with the removal of the trees in two phases. It is now planned to proceed with the removal of approximately half of the trees before the end of the current year and to remove the remaining trees during 2017. This would enable the necessary landscape remedial works and the proposed replacement planting to be completed during the winter 2017/spring 2018 planting season."