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SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 09, 2019

QUESTION NO. 45

QUESTION: Councillor Mary Seery-Kearney

To ask the Chief Executive if the Council has been in receipt of claims for reimbursement of tree surgery/maintenance where residents have been obliged to take action on Council owned trees overhanging the resident's properties, and if he would make a statement on the matter. 

REPLY:

The Council is not aware of any claims for reimbursement of tree surgery/maintenance where residents have been obliged to take action on Council owned trees overhanging the resident's properties.

The Council's Tree Management Policy 'Living with Trees' states 'The Council has no legal obligation to prune overhanging trees unless they are causing direct damage to an adjacent property or are imminently dangerous. This reflects the Council’s position as an owner of thousands of trees and the resources available. Given that many thousands of Council trees overhang boundaries, it is not an effective use of resources to prune every overhanging limb. Tree roots in gardens are a natural occurrence and root presence is unlikely to be affected by tree pruning. However, situations where a tree is genuinely generating root encroachment to an exceptional, severe and unreasonable degree are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Adjacent landowners are entitled to prune encroaching tree branches or roots back to the boundary of their property.