AHEAD of the March 1st deadline for the hedge cutting season, landowners have been reminded to carry out their responsibilities in the interest of the public’s health and safety.

In a proposal to the February sitting of Clare County Council, Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) urged the local authority to continue the hedgerow cutting programme, urging it and the local media “to redouble their efforts to make landowners aware of their responsibility in maintaining roadside hedgerows in the interest of health and safety of all road users in advance of the, fast approaching, March 1 deadline”.

Under Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993, landowners are responsible for trees and hedgerows on or inside their boundaries adjacent to public roads. “The Act obliges landowners and occupiers to take all reasonable care to ensure that such trees, hedges and other vegetation are not or could not become a danger to people using or working on a public road,” senior engineer in the roads and transportation unit of Clare County Council, John Leahy replied.

Restriction on the cutting of hedges during the growing season are already publicised through the Council’s website and social media channels, Leahy advised. “Where landowners are not in compliance with the provisions of Section 70 of the above act, hedgecutting notices are served. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it should be noted that the Council does provide a budget on an annual basis to facilitate hedgecutting along the most strategically important routes across the county and we have highlighted this hedgecutting issue with the Municipal Districts”.

Landowners and community groups can also avail of the Community Hedgecutting Scheme to access funding to assist with the cutting of hedgerows. A total of 34 grant applications have been approved from September 2021 to date under the scheme.

Hedge cutting is always “an interesting debate,” Cllr Killeen remarked, “I’ve beaten Joe Cooney to it this year, he’s usually in around February or March looking for it to commence earlier” he quipped. The Corofin representative appealed to the media to make landowners aware of their responsibility. He acknowledged that for some landowners it can cost thousands to trim hedges over large sections.

“Coming from a rural area, it is something that keeps raising its head all the time, I know the lads do a good job when they do it, they do it to a certain level but with lorries and tractors they are getting hit because they are only cutting it to a certain height,” Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF) commented. Consideration to cut back hedges “completely” around crossings and railway bridges is needed, he felt.

By cutting the hedges and overgrowth “it helps the road surface to last longer, that is vitally important, a lot of our roads are suffering because there are overgrown hedges,” Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) said. “Engineers are doing fantastic work, they are getting onto landowners but my belief is that the legislation needs to be changed”.

Increased awareness of the grant scheme would help, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) observed, “go out and cut them if they need to be cut,” he added.

Related News

roisin garvey 2
Garvey gunning for chance to make history as first Clare Green TD
ge24 campaign trail gabriel keating tom nolan 1
The Campaign Trail: Dr Tom Nolan in Quilty
caimin jones eugene drennan gerry flynn páraic mcmahon 1
The Electoral Chair: How it's going to go down in Clare for General Election 2024
liam conneally 1-2
Galway councillors approve borrowing requirement of €66.5m to fund three housing schemes
Latest News
liam conneally 1-2
Galway councillors approve borrowing requirement of €66.5m to fund three housing schemes
electoral chair debate 21-11-24 matthew moroney kevin hassett 1
No voting pact agreed between Punch & former Independent Ireland colleagues
joeslattery
Over €300k raised in 24 hours for Corofin's Joe following life-changing injury
christmas in ennis 1-2
Christmas in Ennis programme sees pause of public realm & provision of free parking
ge24 campaign trail timmy dooley shane talty 1
The Campaign Trail: Timmy Dooley in Lahinch
Premium
ge24 campaign trail timmy dooley shane talty 1
The Campaign Trail: Timmy Dooley in Lahinch
amanda major
'We need to pause acceptance of asylum seekers to Ireland' - Major
kilmaley v corofin 10-08-24 brian mcnamara damien o'loughlin 1
McNamara the hero as Kilmaley qualify for U21 final
rita mcinerney kilrush 1
Appetite is in West Clare to have a TD says Rita
michael loughrey gort 3
Gort based Loughrey says people of Clare are brainwashed

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Scroll to Top