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SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 09, 2019

QUESTION NO. 44

QUESTION: Councillor Mary Seery-Kearney

To ask the Chief Executive if he would confirm if the Council has been in receipt of any claims for damage caused to private property by Council owned trees, and if so, can he quantify the number of claims, the attendant costs, and if he would make a statement on the matter.

REPLY:

The Council’s insurers have carried out a review of claims since 2015 and have reported on the matter.  Where property damage only is claimed and where a tree is mentioned in the circumstances there are 8 relevant claims and €21,500 has been expended in resolving these. These figures do not include accidents involving trees which have occurred in storm conditions.

The Council’s Tree management Policy ‘Lliving with Trees’ states ‘Trees in an urban environment will inevitably conflict with people and infrastructure which creates pressures for trees to be pruned or felled. The perceived threat of damage by tree roots is sometimes a worry people have about trees near to buildings or built structures. Much of this concern is unwarranted as most trees growing near buildings cause no damage. Tree roots are unlikely to directly penetrate sound footings. Lightly loaded structures, if they have inadequate foundations, may be affected by pressure exerted by tree roots or trunks but in such cases trees are not the primary cause of damage.

The Council recognises that trees under its ownership/management may be implicated in damage to nearby built structures but is also aware that trees are not always the causative agent and that nearby trees often get blamed for damage before a thorough investigation is carried out. Some other reasons for structural failure are inadequate foundation design, general structural failure, poor quality construction, nearby excavations or major works to adjacent properties.