Cork area will not get scheme aimed at enticing roadside hedge cutting – ‘It is going to go nowhere'
However, it was defeated by four votes to two at Monday's meeting of Macroom Municipal District, as the majority of councillors believed it would not be effective and could cost a lot of money.
Discussing the motion, Cork County Council senior executive engineer James Dwyer said a large number of landowners across the MD already maintain their hedgerows in a responsible manner without grant funding from the council.
Mr Dwyer said the council was in favour of encouraging this behaviour going forward.
Cllr Moynihan highlighted that funding is available to landowners in West Cork MD through the Community Hedge Cutting Scheme.
The scheme provides a grant of €50 per kilometre for the cutting of roadside hedges or overhanging trees.
The Fianna Fáil councillor said she would welcome a trial of this scheme in Macroom.
She the scheme would not cost 'huge money' but could entice landowners to trim their hedges back.
Macroom MD Cathaoirleach Michael Looney seconded the motion. The Fianna Fáil councillor said that while most people trim their hedges, some do not.
'Maybe [the grant scheme] would encourage them to think differently about it,' he said.
However, Fine Gael councillor Michael Creed said the scheme would go 'absolutely nowhere'.
'€50 or €60 per kilometre of road is absolutely nothing and it is going to go nowhere,' he said.
'It is my view that it is the same landowners every year that don't cut the ditches.
'Good people do, and the same people don't do, and I don't think €50 or €60 will make it work and from what I hear from West Cork is it is working, but is it a huge success? That is not what I'm hearing,' he said.
Independent councillor Martin Coughlan seconded Mr Creed's response. He felt the scheme would end up subsidising the entire municipal district because people who already cut their hedges would sign up for it.
Fine Gael councillor Ted Lucey said he could not see the scheme working unless there was a 'huge pot of money' available, and voted against the motion.
Members were reminded that funding the proposal would come out of next year's Community Fund, which currently goes to community groups and projects.
Ultimately, Cllr Moynihan's motion was defeated after a majority of Macroom MD councillors voted against it.
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