Department scheme needed to tackle dangerous roadside trees - Mayo councillor

LANDOWNERS need help to deal with dangerous trees along roadsides.

A department-led scheme is needed, said Councillor John O'Hara, who cited the costs involved as 'unfair'.

Following Storm Éowyn, councillors in Mayo were asked to submit lists of dangerous trees in their areas to the local authority.

However, nothing has been done, and with winter coming they are getting more dangerous by the day, he warned a meeting of Mayo County Council.

In some cases there are lines of trees on a property and where, for example, there is an elderly person living on their pension it was unfair to expect them to deal with them, with the cost sometimes running into €10,000 plus.

They had written to the Department of Agriculture twice and got 'rules and regulations' back. The department should have a scheme and do a little bit every year, he said.

There's no support for farmers who want to cut trees, said Councillor Patsy O'Brien. It's an issue the IFA plan on discussing at a meeting in Ballina next month, he said.

Councillor Sean Carey also wondered about the lists of dangerous trees that they had submitted, saying they hadn't heard anything about it since.

Director of services David Mellett said under the Roads Act, if a tree or hedge is on private property the owner is responsible for it.

The council's approach is to engage with landowners where they identify a tree at risk, helping with traffic management or putting them in contact with a contractor, or if it coincides with council works in the area they will take it on with a contribution from the owner. It might also come under a scheme operated by ESB Networks.

On the list after Storm Éowyn, it was hoped they might get department funding. One municipal district list alone came in at around €400,000, so across all four districts it was 'a huge budget'.

All were on private lands and the budget isn't there.

Mr. Mellett stressed that where they identify trees at risk they engage with landowners as best they can.

The council, he added, was supportive of the motion for a central government scheme to support landowners.

* Funded under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme