Grass cutting in Rathowen could set an unwanted precedent
Rathowen Estate residents in Fermoy are appealing to Cork County Council to manage their mowing affairs, in order that residents are not ‘double taxed’ by undertaking the work themselves.
The appeal to have Rathowen added to the grass cutting list was made by Cllr Noel McCarthy at a meeting of Fermoy MD earlier this month, but their request was shot down by county engineer Brendan O’Gorman who vowed to ‘draw a line and stand firm’.
Rathowen is a private estate, albeit one that has been in an ongoing process to be taken in charge by the council. As a private estate, it must organise its own grass-cutting. However, according to Cllr McCarthy, the residents are finding it very difficult to get subscriptions, exacerbated by the fact that there are many rental accommodations in the area, and disputes can arise over whether it is the tenant or the landlord that is responsible for the maintenance payment.
The estate developer maintained the green area until 2010, and then issued a letter advising that the arrangement would cease. Mr Justin Hanley, a resident of Rathowen, says that, as an estate of 80 houses covering acres of land, it is simply not feasible for a voluntary group to undertake the collection of subscriptions. Furthermore, the residents are being ‘double taxed’ by paying privately for the grass-cutting service.
“In Rathowen alone, there is €18,000 collected in local property tax. It is effectively a double taxation. Quotations have been anywhere from €2,500 and €6,000 to maintain the estate each year by private contractors. No one ever gave consideration as to how this would be managed.”
“The assumption was always that the developer would finish, and the estate would be taken in charge by Cork County Council. This is a large estate, with acres of grass, and over 120 trees planted.”
While an ‘ ad hoc’ committee have managed affairs for the last 12 years, the arrangement has become ‘complicated and stressful’. Mr Hanley thanked particularly Cllr McCarthy, and noted that were it not for a grant from Fermoy Tidy Towns last year, that the situation could not have been managed.
“Particularly with Covid, no one wants to be putting pressure on people to contribute, and to be asking people for what is effectively a double taxation. This is a very real situation, that needs the council to step in and take over the maintenance while it is still manageable. The council are stakeholders in this estate.”
SPANNER IN THE WORKS
Approximately five houses within the estate are council houses, and in those cases, according to Mr Hanley, the council maintain it is the tenants’ responsibility to pay the grass cutting subscriptions due.
However, Mr O’Gorman of Cork County Council said that the granting of the request would be setting a precedent for other private estates to demand the same service, and that one had to ‘draw a line’ somewhere. He also pointed out that the department had significant cuts to their budget.
An intervention by Cllr Deirdre O’Brien at the monthly meeting threw a spanner in the works though, as she assured the meeting that she knew of at least three private estates in Mitchelstown who had successfully applied for a community grant, despite not being taken in charge by the council.
With this contradiction on the table, council officials agreed to discuss it themselves, noting that the closing date for a grant is February 15th and so a decision on whether Rathowen may apply for funding needs to be made soon.