Cork County Council is raising public awareness and reminding all landowners which include householders, farmers and business owners etc., that under the terms of the Roads Act, 1993, that it is their responsibility to carry out any necessary tree or hedge cutting where their lands adjoin the public road.
To that end, notices such as below will appear in the local press this coming week and radio ads will also be placed on local radio station, C103. The Council’s campaign has also included meetings with interested parties such as farming organisations, Coillte and others in a concerted bid to remedy this dangerous situation. Uncut hedges are a serious road safety hazard and are causing substantial damage to vehicles, particularly heavy goods vehicles.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. John Paul O Shea said “Hedge cutting has become a significant topic of public discussion within the County, particularly over the recent summer months. Now that the season for hedge cutting has opened up since September 1st, I would ask all landowners to ensure to cut back their roadside hedgerows as soon as possible to ensure the safety of our road users. Many landowners have already done this work and I want to commend them for their proactive responsibility on this issue to date”.
The Council has decided to take a much more proactive role in this area. It will be serving notices on landowners and will be following that up with legal action where necessary.
It has also been decided to pilot a Hedge Cutting Grant Scheme in West Cork where some assistance will be given by the Council where a community comes together to organise such work.
The work should be carried out while hedges are dormant between now and the end of February 2016.
