COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM/TEMPLEOGUE-TERENURE AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

QUESTION NO. 7

QUESTION: Councillor E. Murphy

"An emergency motion was passed at the November Area Committee meeting calling for action on the problem of Japanese Knotweed in the Willbrook Estate and surrounding areas. Could the manager please provide an update on what actions have been taken to date?"

REPLY:

"This matter was discussed under motion 13 at the December County Council meeting and again under headed item 10 on the agenda of the December Rathfarnham/Templeogue-Terenure meeting. The report presented to those meetings is copied below.  There has been no further development in relation to this matter since those meetings.  A commitment was given by the Council's heritage officer to meet the private resident in Willbrook Grove whose property has been affected by Japanese Knotweed which spread from the Owendore River, and this meeting will take place as requested.  At the Rathfarnham/Templeogue-Terenure meeting the heritage officer further explained that Japanese Knotweed is dormant over the winter period and therefore difficult to detect.  The surveying and mapping of areas affected will continue in early 2017 and as mentioned in the report below a routine spraying programme is required to treat and eradicate it.  While treatment has taken place at some known sites this has been done on a site by site basis with no overall, routine programme having been put in place as yet.  This matter will be addressed in 2017, and as mentioned in the report below the appropriate time of year for treatment of Japanese Knotweed is September.

'A programme to map the occurrence of non-native invasive species was initiated in 2016 by the Heritage Officer in conjunction with Environmental Services, Planning and IT Departments.  A specially designed Phone App for the digital mapping and recording of invasive species in public spaces has now been developed which will form the framework for a programme of treatment and management over the next few years. 

An Invasive Species Management Team has been established who are mapping and identifying locations for inclusion in the general maintenance schedule for 2017.  In addition, the programme is also to include a period of targeted spraying, cutting or removal (whichever technique is the most appropriate for different invasive species) during the correct season for these species e.g. September for Japanese Knotweed.

For Knotweed eradication a routine spraying of a site would need to occur over 4-5 years, the sites will be sprayed during a 4 – 6 week period around September of every year.  The resource provision will be reviewed annually in conjunction with the data that we receive from the mapping exercise."