KILDARE NORTH, 7 May 2002: by Brian Byrne. A grant scheme to help residents employ grass-cutting services for their open spaces in estates is to be proposed by Leixlip-based councillor Paul Kelly.
This follows representations from many associations who are now finding they have to employ contractors as fewer people get involved in voluntary work.
"In many estates, the amount of open space is huge, and the cost is soaking up most of the money they can raise," Cllr Kelly says. "Another problem is the large number of rented houses – especially in Leixlip, Maynooth and Celbridge. In many cases, the tenants don’t contribute to fundraising, and the landlords don’t want to know. This means that the burden on the remaining few is much greater."
Cllr Kelly has proposed that Kildare County Council carry out a survey of all housing estates in the county, to find out what their needs in relation to maintaining their open spaces are, and notes that in Kilcock, Maynooth and Celbridge especially, many people have moved out from Dublin, where they grew up in estates where the council as a matter of course cut the grass.
"They are quite willing to do a lot of work improving their estates, but the cost of grass cutting is crippling many of them."
©2002knn
