At this morning’s Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District meeting, there was a strong call for land owners to cut their hedges before the March deadline.
The issue was brought to point by Cllr Brendan Phelan, who called for the Council to trim hedges in an area of Erril, but also claimed that it was not just this area that needed attention.
He said that these hedges were not just ordinary brambles but branches that could cause serious damage.
Cllr John King also backed Cllr Phelan’s motion, but he added that there is also a responsibility of the landowners to take care of their own hedges, and that the council should not have to take full care of these works.
Paul McLoughlin, Senior Engineer, responded by telling the Councillors that the Laois County Council have sent letters of request to a number of landowners to trim back the hedges and ditches situated along their land.
He said that the land owners have not carried out the Council’s requests, at which point Cllr King asked Mr McLoughlin what legal standing has the Council regarding the enforcement of the requested hedge cutting.
Mr McLoughlin told the meeting that under the 1993 Road Act, landowners have full responsibility of the hedgerows and trees that are on their land, but that if the Council’s requests continue to be ignored then the Council can act.
When asked what options the Council legally have, Mr McLoughlin confirmed to the meeting that the Council could carry out the work themselves and then bill the land owner, or they could go through the court to have the matter resolved.
All Councillors present welcomed the proposals, but Cllr James Kelly commented that because the Council have not received any correspondence from landowners, it is likely that the very same issue will be raised this time next year.
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