ENNIS RESIDENTS have slammed “a hedge cutting job from hell” carried out by contractors of Clare County Council.
Dark hedges in Kilcurrish, Fountain in Ennis were cut by Council contractors in the past fortnight and the finished job has left locals seething.
Teenager Maisie O’Connor who is a student at Gaelcholáiste an Chláir labelled it as “a hedge cutting job from hell” and “the worst hedge cutting job I’ve seen in my life”.
She explained, “Down the road where I live, there’s a small hill, that previously had the most beautiful curved ‘tunnel’ of trees on the hedge. In the summer, the sun would filter through the curved avenue, which led to a friend describing it as ‘nature’s subway.’ It was so beautiful”.
This ‘tunnel’ was “absolutely destroyed” as part of the works, Maisie said. “It seems a Council contractor cut the hedges, and in doing so snapped every single tree and bush in two. Whoever did it cut the hedge so short that the trees don’t even curve anymore. I nearly started crying when I saw it. It was a horrible shock to find our beautiful tunnel absolutely ruined. It will take years for it to grow back”.
O’Connor said neighbours viewed what happened as “a hack job”. She continued, “I’m aware that there was a need to cut some of the hedge, since two of our neighbours have planning permission on the road frontage, but there’s absolutely no way that all the hedge needed to go. We’re all devastated at the loss of such a natural wonder, which was home to a lot of animals as well. For all of Clare County Council’s talk on trying to make this county more eco-friendly, they’re clearly not acting on it”.
In a statement to The Clare Echo, a spokesperson for the Council said, “The hedge cutting contractor was appointed by Clare County Council following a public procurement process. The contractor has been engaged by the Council for a number of years. All works carried out by the contractor are under the direction of Clare County Council”.
Yearly inspections of roads and road surfaces are completed by the Council. “The road at Kilcurrish, Fountain, was inspected in 2022 and was found to be in sub-standard condition and, as a result, has been put forward for restoration maintenance for 2023. Upon inspection it was noted that the hedgerows and trees were severely overhanging the existing roadway and were impacting on the safe passage of heavy goods vehicles and school buses as well as farm machinery, pedestrians and road making equipment. It was necessary to rectify this issue in advance of carrying out restoration works to the road surface.
“Under Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993, individual landowners are responsible for trees, hedgerows etc. on or inside their boundaries adjacent to public roads. Notwithstanding this, Clare County Council has a policy of carrying out hedge and verge-trimming in certain circumstances where there is a significant safety issue or where a requirement is identified for road strengthening and surfacing works. Therefore, Clare County Council engaged a contractor to carry out these works.
“Where possible Clare County Council endeavours to retain as much hedge as possible. However, we must be also cognisant of the potential for rapid re-growth due to the species present and the subsequent impact on the safety and welfare of all road users. This assessment determines the quantity of cut back to be undertaken. Under Section 46 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, hedge cutting is restricted between 1st March and 31st August. This is known as ‘bird nesting season’. Though Clare County Council is an exempt body under the legislation, where possible we strive to carry out all hedge cutting and similar work in advance of bird nesting season in to minimise the impact on the wildlife and habitats”.
