Kerry councillor calls for hedge cutting grant scheme

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

Kerry councillor has posed a community grant scheme as a solution to the county’s hedge cutting challenges.

Councillor Teddy O’Sullivan-Casey urged Kerry County Council to mimic other local authorities in subsidising residents to trim hedges on their road sides.

Overgrown vegetation causes issues on a yearly basis, with the proscribed hedge cutting season limiting maintenance operations.

The issue is particularly prevalent in south Kerry, where many of the overgrown vegetation appears on the private land where they may be second homes or short-term rental accommodation.

At a recent Kenmare Municipal District, Cllr O’Sullivan-Casey proposed the grant as a way of empowering communities to manage their own roadsides collectively.

The Municipal District of West Cork already provides funding of €50 per km of roadside vegetation to communities and groups of residents in the area.

Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae was also supportive of the motion, highlighting the importance of continual maintenance.

Significant works, such as tree surgery, were being undermined by lack of annual cutting, while Kerry County Council had at intervene at times, costing the tax payer upwards of €3,000, he said.

“In time what is going to happen to growing hedges and hanging branches?” he said.

“State money is now a waste of money 20 years on because there’s no maintenance…if a window comes off a tourist bus that leaves a bad taste when you’re in Ireland spending a lot of money.”

“A core function of Kerry County Council is to maintain our road network and we’re not doing that.”

Kerry County Council said there would be considerable cost associated with the administration and governance of such a scheme, particularly for tree surgery operations.

They highlighted the vast number of roads in the county which required routine maintenance and the potential cost as a result.

Consideration would have to be given to what other elements of routine road maintenance would be stepped down to allow for funding for such a scheme, the said.

“The provision of public funds for hedge cutting of private lands would most likely aggrieve those who are consistently compliant with the legislation,” they added.

“The provision of public funds for hedge cutting of private lands would most likely aggrieve those who are consistently compliant with the legislation.”