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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Kildare County Council's Aras Chill Dara headquarters
A Fine Gael councillor has called for an independent tree arborist to carry out an assessment of trees in the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District.
According to a motion tabled by Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer at December's Newbridge-Kildare Municipal District meeting, this would allow for the compiling of a working list for the council's Parks team to work from and members to budget for.
The tender would include, but would not be limited to 'all housing estates taken in charge, public spaces, special landscape areas and unique areas where houses are listed on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) records', the motion stated.
Speaking at the committee meeting on Wednesday, December 19 2024, Cllr O'Dwyer said she put forward her motion because councillors were regularly approaching the Parks department with requests regarding trees, whether from councillors themselves or on behalf of residents.
Rather than “firefighting” the issue, she said, she was suggesting that an external consultant be brought in to carry out a full assessment as to what trees need to be cut back, pruning schedule, an urgency schedule etc.
As the Parks team do not have the resources to do this themselves, she added, this could be carried out for the council team, who would then carry out the works, then councillors would know what work was going to be carried out in the municipal district.
Cllr O'Dwyer explained that this would mean the council could say to members of the public that an assessment was carried out, and when to expect works done in their particular estate.
This would cut down on the “back and forth” between councillors and the Parks department, she said, and would enable the council to see exactly what work is being carried out on trees.
Work was currently being carried out, she pointed out, but it was on a “very ad hoc” basis, and she didn't believe it served anyone well not to have a five-year tree works programme.
Supporting the motion, Cllr Chris Pender (SD) said that particularly at this time of year, the council receives questions regarding trees “so it would be nice to have some proactive planning.”
A report issued by the council stated: 'A tender has been issued for a programme of tree works in the Kildare / Newbridge Municipal District. The content and cost of this will be advised to the members once tenders are received which is due by the end of the year.'
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