Cathaoirleach calls for removal of all roadside hedges

Anton McNulty

THE Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council believes that all hedges located along the county’s roads should be removed to solve the hedge-cutting crisis.
Independent councillor Michael Holmes was speaking at last week’s monthly meeting of Mayo County Council where the issue of hedge cutting was raised during the meeting. The Council has allocated €100,000 to hedge cutting in the 2016 budget.
The sum includes €20,000 for a Community Pilot Scheme whereby the local community will identify hedges for cutting and carry out the work.
Cllr Holmes highlighted the recent clearance of trees along the N59 at Kilmeena as an example of what should take place to make roads safer.
“The problem is getting worse and worse,” he said. “Not because of the lack of money but because hedges and bushes are growing bigger and stronger and hedge cutting will be soon tree cutting. There were trees taken out clean along the road between Westport and Newport and that is how you get rid of them. I have no problem with birds nesting, and the way farming is going there will be plenty of places for birds to nest. There should be nothing within five metres of the road and no more than two metres high.”
His comments were supported by Independent councillor Gerry Ginty, who said that more birds were killed by nesting along the side of the road. He said removing hedges a certain distance from roads would be welcomed by birds and roads users. This led Cllr Holmes to joke that birds were the only ones allowed to build on the side of the road.