COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

QUESTION NO. 11

QUESTION: Councillor William Joseph Carey

"To ask the Chief Executive what works have been approved including costing for maintenance and upkeep of the Meadow along Lock View Road and what actions are been taken to further the policy of expanding our Pollinator Planting Programme here and in other parts of Clondalkin Area Committee District?"

REPLY:

The section of open space at Lock View Road is 8.2 hectares in size. This piece of land was identified approximately 5 years ago as an area which could benefit pollinating insects by altering the mowing regime which was in place at the time. The mowing regime was therefore changed from a 2-week cycle to an annual cut which takes place in the autumn.

The lower intensity cutting can reduce costs (and emissions) associated with more frequent maintenance, however there is still a financial outlay required to cut, gather and remove the very long grass after it is cut. This process requires specialised machinery which the Council do not own, and the Council have therefore not been able to remove grass cutting to date on this site. The maintenance practice is under review with a view to identifying and engaging a contractor to carry out the operation at some stage in the future.

While there is no pollinator planting programme per se, the main opportunity where inroads can be made by the Council and its commitment to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan for pollinators generally depends on grass cutting regimes, where altering the timing of mowing can have huge benefits.

There are 2 categories of cutting for pollinators: 1) one-cut-a-year for large meadows and 2) areas which need to be maintained but where every second normal cut can be missed out (i.e. cutting once every 4 or 5 weeks) in order to facilitate the flowering of low-growing pollinator plants like clovers and birds-foot trefoil.

Actions to further the commitments in the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan include the expansion of managed grasslands to increase areas or identify new locations. Planting of pollinator friendly bulbs took place in Winter 2019/Spring 2020 on four roundabouts on St Cuthbert’s Road and an area opposite Scoil Nano Nagle at Ashwood. The roundabouts planted were Westbourne roundabout, Kilmahuddrick roundabout, Kilcronan roundabout & Melrose roundabout. The bulb planting was one of the winning projects under the participatory budget scheme to brighten up the Bawnogue area using flowers. The bulbs include a mix of Anemone, Chinodoxa, Fritillaria, Crocus, Hyacinthoides, Narcissus, Allium, Muscari, Nectaroscordum and Tulipa. The bulbs flowered well this year and hopefully will continue to do so each year.