Following a number of recent storms that this county has experienced and the extreme danger caused by fallen trees throughout the county,   I am asking Roscommon Co. Council to engage with other  agencies such as Coillte, ESB, Eir, Dept of Agriculture, Uisce Eireann and Farm Bodies to discuss a  pilot plan that will reduce loss of services, costs and avoid serious injury or death as a result of these storms.The plan should identify dangerous roadside trees, future planning for development of services along our roads and engage with landowners to cut and remove dangerous trees.

 

 

Reply:

Trees on private property are the responsibility of the owner. The 1993 Roads Act place a statutory obligation on landowners and occupiers to ensure roadside structures, trees, shrubs or other vegetation do not present a danger to those using and working on public roads. Under the law, landowners are liable for any damage caused by their trees. The Council can serve a notice requiring a landowner to take the necessary steps to address any hazards. In the event that the Council, as the road authority, has to take action it may recover the costs incurred by it from the landowner.

 

Dealing with large dangerous roadside trees is a difficult and expensive undertaking. The Council agrees that a national approach and response is required. In line with similar Notice of Motions the Council issued correspondence to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to request that a scheme be put in place to provide financial support to landowners to deal with this issue. I have included their reply for completeness.  

 

Currently there is no such specific funding from the Department.  However, the Department has published guidance on the subject of roadside trees, in partnership with the Tree Council of Ireland, “A Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees” which provides guidance to landowners on how to manage roadside trees and to assess risk associated with trees and describes common defects including dieback, unstable leans, splits and cracks, decay and cavities.  Roscommon County Council is currently drafting a County Tree Management Policy.  The Policy will also offer guidance and encouragement to landowners to manage their roadside trees in a responsible manner.

 

Moving the motion, Cllr. Callaghan made the following points:

·         There is a lack of cohesion with the major bodies to protect people against storms, in particular with roadside trees falling.

·         There is no coordination between Eir, forest companies, landowners, and Local Authorities.

·         There is an expectation on the Council to clean up the mess caused by the storm.

·         Trees need to be kept back from the road verges to prevent situations where there is no power, heat, or water.

·         Farmers are struggling to maintain their livestock due to no water and damage to sheds.

·         A programme needs to be put in place to entice landowners to cut trees, and offer compensation, to make the roadsides safe.

·         A plan is needed to engage with Eir, ESB, and the farming community for the next 5 years.

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Callaghan

 SECONDED by Cllr. Moylan

It was AGREED that Roscommon County Council will engage with other agencies such as Coillte, ESB, Eir, Dept of Agriculture, Uisce Eireann and Farm Bodies to discuss a pilot plan that will reduce loss of services, costs and avoid serious injury or death as a result of these storms.

 

 

Members agreed with the motions and made the following points:

 

·         A corridor needs to be left to prevent fallen trees hitting the power lines.

·         Cables should be put underground or raise the poles to put the cables higher than the trees.

·         People with specialised medical equipment must get the support needed.

·         It would be a missed opportunity not to contact clubs to have their generators retrofitted to allow people in the community to have access to power.

·         The Government need to provide funding for generators to be purchased by clubs, and for existing generators to be retrofitted, and a condition of funding should be that they are retrofitted to the club house and can be used for community support for people.

·         Forestry companies need to be forced to remove trees close to power lines immediately.

·         A large number of people are without water due to the inability to fill reservoirs.

·         Farmers are struggling due to the inability to get water to livestock which is inhumane and causes further difficulties for farmers.

·         Safety must be prioritised over the environment and trees causing a danger must be removed.

·         The Local Authorities and the State need to take a tougher approach to cutting down trees, and fines must be issued.

·         The ESB must take a review of their line network and prepare a plan to mitigate the danger of trees falling on it, and reduce the vulnerability of power lines.

·         A meeting needs to be arranged with the bodies called on in this meeting if no satisfactory response is received.

·         A query was raised in relation to the discretionary fund from the Department of Transport and whether the upper limit can be utilised to address the roadside trees and forestry cutting issues.

·         The fallen trees are preventing the repair work being carried out by the ESB.

·         A proposal was made to call on the Army to support the ESB and Local Authority to remove fallen trees and speed up the restoration of power.

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Crosby

 SECONDED by Cllr. Byrne

It was AGREED to propose a grant scheme be put in place for generators for those with medical aids.

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Crosby

 SECONDED by Cllr. Keogh

It was AGREED to carry out a survey on roadside trees.

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Crosby

 SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to put generators at water sources.

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

SECONDED by Cllr. Callaghan

It was AGREED to circulate Cllr. Callaghan’s motion to all Local Authorities.

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to write to the Department of Community and Rural Development requesting funding for new generators for lighting at sports pitches and have the capability to also generate power for club houses for emergency use as community hubs. It was also agreed to request funding for a grant scheme to retrofit existing floodlight generators at pitches for the same purposes.

 

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fallon

SECONDED by Cllr. Dineen

It was AGREED to write to Irish Water and the Minister that all reservoirs have a generator on standby in the event of another storm event.

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fallon

SECONDED by Cllr. Connolly

It was AGREED to call on the ESB and Minister for Energy to plan to reduce the vulnerability of lines and how lines can be put underground for future protection.

 

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Scahill

SECONDED by Cllr. Byrne

It was AGREED to call on the Army to support the ESB and Local Authority to remove fallen trees and speed up the restoration of power.

 

Chief Executive, Shane Tiernan, addressed members to advise that this proposal is governed under the Defence Forces Act and therefore must be done through the Major Management Structures and in collaboration with other State Agencies. He advised the members of a meeting the following day, Tuesday 28^th January at 11.30am, and he will raise this proposal at the meeting.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fitzmaurice

SECONDED by Cllr. Connolly

It was AGREED to write to the Minister for Agriculture requesting an emergency felling licence to deal with fallen forestry to avoid delays,

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fitzmaurice

SECONDED by Cllr. Byrne

It was AGREED to write to the Minister for Agriculture that no trees should be planted within 30 metres of power lines going forward.

 

Director of Services Greg O’Donnell addressed members regarding the proposals made and made the following points:

·         He suggested amending the proposal by Cllr. Cosby to have generators at water sources, to include wastewater treatment facilities.

·         He suggested that Roscommon County Council elevate contacting the service providers to the LGMA and CCMA level.

·         He mentioned that there are guidelines in place for trees near roads, and suggested that trees along roadsides should be limited to certain types that do not grow beyond a specified height. He suggested that this needs further investigation, rather than removing all trees from road verges going forward.

·         He advised that he is not aware of a limit on the discretionary fund and funding is on a case by case basis.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Director of Services Greg O’Donnell

SECONDED by Cllr. Scahill

It was AGREED to include wastewater treatment facilities in the proposal by Cllr. Crosby.

 

 

Director of Services Greg O’Donnell excused himself from the meeting to deal with urgent matters. 

 

Members carried on discussing the motions and made the following points:

·         Coillte need to be prevented from planting trees near the road verges as causing roads to be dangerous, and made cut existing trees back to a safe distance from the road and power lines.

·         Coillte must be held responsible for the costs caused by fallen trees.

·         A Directive is needed to cute trees to a certain level to ensure safety.

·         A plan needs to be put in place to ensure we are ready for these issues when they occur.

·         Forward thinking and Government action is needed immediately.

·         Government need to work with landowners to remove trees on land and prevent the landowners incurring any costs.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. McDermott

SECONDED by Cllr. Keogh

It was AGREED to write to the Department of Agriculture, Department of Transport, and Department of Environment, for an incentive to be put in place for landowners to move trees off the roadside.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to circulate the proposal by Cllr. McDermott to all Local Authorities.

 

Cllr. Fitzmaurice mentioned the apologies from Cllr. Frain due to work on providing work in the Ballaghaderreen area.

 

Chief Executive Shane Tiernan advised members that Irish Water are the primary contact for water related issues, and Roscommon County Council will support Irish Water by providing bowsers on request.

 

Members continued discussing the motions and made the following points:

·         The effects of the recent storm has made living conditions more difficult for elderly people and people living alone, and people are encouraged to check on their neighbours.

·         This country is reactive rather than proactive and supports do not come in a timely enough manner.

·         We need to protect the essential electric and water services.

·         Government funding is needed to ensure farm buildings are secured going forward.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Kelly

SECONDED by Cllr. Fallon

It was AGREED to write to Department of Agriculture and Department of Heritage for funding to secure farm buildings and ensure they are safe during storm events.

 

Chief Executive Shane Tiernan advised members that a National Scheme is needed to incentivise landowners and provide funding to Local Authorities to support the landowners in dealing with trees. He stated that the letters being written need to emphasise this.

 

Members continued discussing the motions and made the following points:

·         Community Centres are ideal places for services in an emergency and should be considered for generators.

·         Smalls businesses have been effected by the loss of power and it was queried if compensation will be provided.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Callaghan

SECONDED by Cllr. Crosby

It was AGREED to invite the ESB to the next Plenary Meeting at Roscommon County Council.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

SECONDED by Cllr. Fitzmaurice

It was AGREED to write to the Minister for Communications that all emergency services have access to the gov.ie system to use any network available, and circulate this to all Local Authorities.

 

 

Storm Éowyn

Director of Services Mark Keaveney provided an update following attending a meeting regarding the response to the storm. The Emergency Coordination group had a meeting which Council representatives attended. A local coordination group has been created to establish the needs of the community and vulnerable people in the aftermath of the storm, and coordinate a collective response to those needs. Local community groups have opened facilities throughout the county and the Council will support these groups.

 

Chief Executive Shane Tiernan advised members that community centres and GAA clubs are the best place for these hubs due to the facilities available, and the Council will support them. The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 27^th January at 4pm, and the Cathaoirleach has been invited. He advised members that crews and tree specialists are being brought in from the UK and France to assist the ESB.

Following a number of recent storms that this county has experienced and the extreme danger caused by fallen trees throughout the county, I am asking Roscommon Co. Council to engage with other agencies such as Coillte, ESB, Eir, Dept of Agriculture, Uisce Eireann and Farm Bodies to discuss a pilot plan that will reduce loss of services, costs and avoid serious injury or death as a result of these storms. The plan should identify dangerous roadside trees, future planning for development of services.

 

The Meetings Administrator read the following reply:

Trees on private property are the responsibility of the owner. The 1993 Roads Act place a statutory obligation on landowners and occupiers to ensure roadside structures, trees, shrubs or other vegetation do not present a danger to those using and working on public roads. Under the law, landowners are liable for any damage caused by their trees. The Council can serve a notice requiring a landowner to take the necessary steps to address any hazards. In the event that the Council, as the road authority, has to take action it may recover the costs incurred by it from the landowner.

 

Dealing with large dangerous roadside trees is a difficult and expensive undertaking. The Council agrees that a national approach and response is required. In line with similar Notice of Motions the Council issued correspondence to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to request that a scheme be put in place to provide financial support to landowners to deal with this issue. I have included their reply for completeness.  

 

Currently there is no such specific funding from the Department.  However, the Department has published guidance on the subject of roadside trees, in partnership with the Tree Council of Ireland, “A Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees” which provides guidance to landowners on how to manage roadside trees and to assess risk associated with trees and describes common defects including dieback, unstable leans, splits and cracks, decay and cavities.  Roscommon County Council is currently drafting a County Tree Management Policy.  The Policy will also offer guidance and encouragement to landowners to manage their roadside trees in a responsible manner.

 

Moving the motion, Cllr. Callaghan made the following points:

·        There is a lack of cohesion with the major bodies to protect people against storms, in particular with roadside trees falling.

·        There is no coordination between Eir, forest companies, landowners, and Local Authorities.

·        There is an expectation on the Council to clean up the mess caused by the storm.

·        Trees need to be kept back from the road verges to prevent situations where there is no power, heat, or water.

·        Farmers are struggling to maintain their livestock due to no water and damage to sheds.

·        A programme needs to be put in place to entice landowners to cut trees, and offer compensation, to make the roadsides safe.

·        A plan is needed to engage with Éir, ESB, and the farming community for the next 5 years.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Callaghan

SECONDED by Cllr. Moylan

It was AGREED that Roscommon County Council will engage with other agencies such as Coillte, ESB, Éir, Department of Agriculture, Uisce Éireann and Farm Bodies to discuss a pilot plan that will reduce loss of services, costs and avoid serious injury or death as a result of these storms.

 

Members agreed with the motions and made the following points:

 

·        A corridor needs to be left to prevent fallen trees hitting the power lines.

·        Cables should be put underground or raise the poles to put the cables higher than the trees.

·        People with specialised medical equipment must get the support needed.

·        It would be a missed opportunity not to contact clubs to have their generators retrofitted to allow people in the community to have access to power.

·        The Government need to provide funding for generators to be purchased by clubs, and for existing generators to be retrofitted, and a condition of funding should be that they are retrofitted to the club house and can be used for community support for people.

·        Forestry companies need to be forced to remove trees close to power lines immediately.

·        A large number of people are without water due to the inability to fill reservoirs.

·        Farmers are struggling due to the inability to get water to livestock which is inhumane and causes further difficulties for farmers.

·        Safety must be prioritised over the environment and trees causing a danger must be removed.

·        The Local Authorities and the State need to take a tougher approach to cutting down trees, and fines must be issued.

·        The ESB must take a review of their line network and prepare a plan to mitigate the danger of trees falling on it, and reduce the vulnerability of power lines.

·        A meeting needs to be arranged with the bodies called on in this meeting if no satisfactory response is received.

·        A query was raised in relation to the discretionary fund from the Department of Transport and whether the upper limit can be utilised to address the roadside trees and forestry cutting issues.

·        The fallen trees are preventing the repair work being carried out by the ESB.

·        A proposal was made to call on the Army to support the ESB and Local Authority to remove fallen trees and speed up the restoration of power.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Crosby

SECONDED by Cllr. Byrne

It was AGREED to propose a grant scheme be put in place for generators for those with medical aids.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Crosby

SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to put generators at water sources.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

SECONDED by Cllr. Callaghan

It was AGREED to circulate Cllr. Callaghan’s motion to all Local Authorities.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to write to the Department of Community and Rural Development requesting funding for new generators for lighting at sports pitches and have the capability to also generate power for club houses for emergency use as community hubs. It was also agreed to request funding for a grant scheme to retrofit existing floodlight generators at pitches for the same purposes.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fallon

SECONDED by Cllr. Dineen

It was AGREED to write to Irish Water and the Minister that all reservoirs and wastewater treatment facilities have a generator on standby in the event of another storm event.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fitzmaurice

SECONDED by Cllr. Scahill

It was AGREED to write to Irish Water and the Minister to include that wastewater treatment facilities also have a generator on standby in the event of another storm event.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fallon

SECONDED by Cllr. Connolly

It was AGREED to call on the ESB and Minister for energy to plan to reduce the vulnerability of lines and how lines can be put underground for future protection.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Scahill

SECONDED by Cllr. Byrne

It was AGREED to call on the Army to support the ESB and Local Authority to remove fallen trees and speed up the restoration of power.

 

Chief Executive, Shane Tiernan, addressed members to advise that this proposal is governed under the Defence Forces Act and therefore must be done through the Major Management Structures and in collaboration with other State Agencies. He advised the members of a meeting the following day, Tuesday 28^th January at 11.30am, and he will raise this proposal at the meeting.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fitzmaurice

SECONDED by Cllr. Connolly

It was AGREED to write to the Minister for Agriculture requesting an emergency felling licence to deal with fallen forestry to avoid delays.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fitzmaurice

SECONDED by Cllr. Byrne

It was AGREED to write to the Minister for Agriculture that no trees should be planted within 30 metres of power lines going forward.

 

Director of Services Greg O’Donnell addressed members regarding the proposals made and made the following points:

·        He suggested amending the proposal by Cllr. Crosby to have generators at water sources, to include wastewater treatment facilities.

·        He suggested that Roscommon County Council elevate contacting the service providers to the LGMA and CCMA level.

·        He mentioned that there are guidelines in place for trees near roads, and suggested that trees along roadsides should be limited to certain types that do not grow beyond a specified height. He suggested that this needs further investigation, rather than removing all trees from road verges going forward.

·        He advised that he is not aware of a limit on the discretionary fund and funding is on a case by case basis.

On the PROPOSAL of Director of Services Greg O’Donnell

SECONDED by Cllr. Scahill

It was AGREED to include wastewater treatment facilities in the proposal by Cllr. Crosby.

 

Director of Services Greg O’Donnell excused himself from the meeting to deal with urgent matters. 

 

Members carried on discussing the motions and made the following points:

·        Coillte need to be prevented from planting trees near the road verges and made cut existing trees back to a safe distance from the road and power lines.

·        Coillte must be held responsible for the costs caused by fallen trees.

·        A Directive is needed to cute trees to a certain level to ensure safety.

·        A plan needs to be put in place to ensure we are ready for these issues when they occur.

·        Forward thinking and Government action is needed immediately.

·        Government need to work with landowners to remove trees on land and prevent the landowners incurring any costs.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. McDermott

SECONDED by Cllr. Keogh

It was AGREED to write to the Department of Agriculture, Department of Transport, and Department of Environment, for an incentive to be put in place for landowners to move trees off the roadside.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to circulate the proposal by Cllr. McDermott to all Local Authorities.

 

Cllr. Fitzmaurice noted the apologies from Cllr. Frain due to storm relief work.

 

Chief Executive Shane Tiernan advised members that Irish Water are the primary contact for water related issues, and Roscommon County Council will support Irish Water by providing bowsers on request.

 

Members continued discussing the motions and made the following points:

·        The effects of the recent storm has made living conditions more difficult for elderly people and people living alone, and people are encouraged to check on their neighbours.

·        This country is reactive rather than proactive and supports do not come in a timely enough manner.

·        We need to protect the essential electric and water services.

·        Government funding is needed to ensure farm buildings are secured going forward.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Kelly

SECONDED by Cllr. Fallon

It was AGREED to write to Department of Agriculture and Department of Heritage for funding to secure farm buildings and ensure they are safe during storm events.

 

Chief Executive Shane Tiernan advised members that a National Scheme is needed to incentivise landowners and provide funding to Local Authorities to support the landowners in dealing with trees. He stated that the letters being written need to emphasise this.

 

Members continued discussing the motions and made the following points:

·        Community Centres are ideal places for services in an emergency and should be considered for generators.

·        Smalls businesses have been effected by the loss of power and it was queried if compensation will be provided.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Callaghan

SECONDED by Cllr. Crosby

It was AGREED to invite the ESB to the next Plenary Meeting at Roscommon County Council to discuss matters relating to Storm Éowyn.

 

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

SECONDED by Cllr. Fitzmaurice

It was AGREED to write to the Minister for Communications that all emergency frontline services have access to the GOV NE system to use any network available in the major emergency events to ensure communication channels remain open, and circulate this to all Local Authorities.

 

 

Storm Éowyn

Director of Services Mark Keaveney provided an update following attending a meeting regarding the response to the storm. The Emergency Coordination group had a meeting which Council representatives attended. A local coordination group has been created to establish the needs of the community and vulnerable people in the aftermath of the storm, and coordinate a collective response to those needs. Local community groups have opened facilities throughout the county and the Council will support these groups.

 

Chief Executive Shane Tiernan advised members that community centres and GAA clubs are the best place for these hubs due to the facilities available, and the Council will support them. The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 27^th January at 4pm,and the Cathaoirleach has been invited. He advised members that crews and tree specialists are being brought in from the UK and France to assist the ESB.