Cut trees notices served by council

THE first notices to cut overhanging trees have been served on a number of Mayo landowners.

The response to the notices has been 'reasonably positive', councillors at a roads committee meeting of Mayo County Council were told.

Last year the council facilitated the setting up of a hedge cutting forum, which has met a number of times.

Head of roads Mr. Paul Dolan said there was agreement by the forum that they would serve 10 tree cutting notices in each of the municipal districts where trees were overhanging on roads and causing a hazard.

The response from the landowners who received notices has been reasonably positive and they have made contact to say they will deal with the issue.

The huge costs associated with hedge-cutting were highlighted by Councillor Brendan Mulroy, chairman of the committee, who said the bill to cut the whole county would come to €1 million.

Councillor Damien Ryan said overarching is a problem, with vegetation taking off wing mirrors, but how you dealt with it was complex.

He suggested the council look at getting some kind of a vertical saw as a pilot.

Post-GLAS, the Department of Agriculture should attempt to address the landowner issue, making it a scheme requirement that if your land fronts onto a road the landowner looks after it.

It would take a significant percentage of overhanging onto roads out if you had that type of measure, compensating the landowner. “It would solve it for the farmer, the council and the general public,” he said.

Landowners are responsible for cutting roadside hedges, Mr. Dolan pointed out. And there are landowners other than farmers, such as private home owners and sports clubs.