Grass-cutting calls in Nenagh

The growth of vegetation at this time of year has prompted calls from residents to tackle two sites in the town of Nenagh.

Grass-cutting has become a new problem in the Hawthorns estate. The residents committee used to collect money from the 52 households in the estate and pay a contractor to cut the grass. But now a substantial number of households are not contributing, so the grass is not being cut. This has resulted in an overgrowth of grass, thistles and weeds in the estate, particularly at the military barracks side, where residents have long complained about neglect.

Hawthorns resident Cyril Power said people are dumping rubbish in the overgrown area, where it is hidden from view. This is attracting rats into the area. He added that a child recently cut herself on broken glass from a bottle dumped there.

Mr Power said residents were paying €40 per year to have the grass in Hawthorns cut. But between tenants of houses owned by Tipperary Co Council in the estate wanting the council to pay, and elderly people who are struggling to make ends meet, there is not enough money being collected to cut the grass.

A UNIQUE CASE

The situation was raised at recent meeting of the council's Nenagh Municipal District by Cllr Séamie Morris. He made the case for the council to add Hawthorns to its grass-cutting schedule considering that it owns a compound in the estate.

The council's position was that it does not have the resources to take on grass-cutting in estates, and to do so would set a county-wide precedent. The council makes contributions to some 40 residents committees in the district and an application for funding would be considered.

Mr Power maintained that the money given by the council is not enough to cover the cost. He made the point that residents are paying the Local Property Tax, the general cost of living is going up, and people feel they should be getting something more for what they pay.

The Hawthorns resident was also of the view that his estate is a unique case, given the council's compound at the site of the water tower. This is often a source of noise disruption during the day, he said. The grass is cut there regularly; surely it would not take much for the council to cut the other green areas in the estate while they are at it, Mr Power reasoned.

ST MARY’S FIELD

Another area where the unchecked growth of grass is very apparent at this time of year is the field between St Mary's Secondary School and the Cormack Drive estate. This site is also attracting rubbish and consequently rats, according to local residents, who have wanted to see something done with the field for many years.

The field is owned by St Mary's while the council owns the lane running into the back of Cormack Drive. The grass was cut last year by a farmer and not without difficulty, one local resident claimed, given the amount of material that had been dumped in it.

St Mary's Secondary School was asked to comment on the matter.

Local councillor Hughie McGrath said he has asked the council to send the litter warden to make sure the laneway is maintained. Residents have removed rubbish from the field themselves, but that site is the responsibility of the school, he said.

Making the point that while a number of uses for the site have been suggested over the years, Cllr McGrath said he is not aware of any plans to do anything with it.

“It's ongoing and it's not fair to the people that live up there,” he said of the situation. “Myself and other councillors have been on to the council about it but something is going to have to happen. I'd hope the council and board of management can come up with some sort of a plan.”