COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF LUCAN/PALMERSTOWN/FONTHILL AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

QUESTION NO. 18

QUESTION: Councillor Alan Hayes

To ask the chief executive for an updated action plan and timeline to address the outstanding tasks identified in the conservation report for the Old Church and Graveyard at Mill Lane, Palmerstown; including the removal of some trees and the movement/replacing of some headstones.

REPLY:

St. Catherine’s Church, Mill Lane, Palmerstown is a Protected Structure. Conservation and repair works were completed as part of a work programme for 2017 under Architectural Conservation Projects for Council owned structures and managed by the Councils Architectural Conservation Officer, funded by Land Use Planning and Transportation Department. The project was particularly successful in supporting ongoing community and tidy towns work.

The following works were completed under Phase two by specialist conservation contractors and the full scope of works included; completion of further re-pointing works to the perimeter wall including the stone piers (entrance to the graveyard); repointing and repairing any loose capping, repair and rebuilding sections of the church gable, repointing the church structure where required, removing any vegetation, which included the removal of a dangerous tree which caused localised damage to the boundary wall, insertion of a lime flaunching to the top of the church walls and the removal of graffiti.

All those works which were identified as priority and necessary remedial repairs were fully completed under the scope of works to safeguard and protect the Church and original boundary wall and therefore it is considered that the architectural conservation project was fully completed, and no further works were required. The removal of vegetation was completed as detailed above along with the removal of one large tree, which was considered to be dangerous. No other trees were identified by our public realm section at the time and the repair/replacement of headstones did not come under the remit as part of the urgent conservation and repair works in preventing any further damage or deterioration to the existing Church structure and original perimeter wall.