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Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Cork City Council spent over €23,000 last year on 'robotrees' before their removal
Cork City Council spent more than €23,000 maintaining its controversial 'robotrees' despite a report on their impact on air quality proving inconclusive. Two payments for 'annual maintenance' were made to Green City Solutions of €14,497 on July 19 and €8,940 on July 24 last year. The payments are higher than previous years, when annual maintenance costs were €16,778 in 2020, €17,755 in 2021 - when there were also repairs costing €2,396 - and €17,880 in 2022. There are no records provided for maintenance costs for 2023 for the German-made 'trees', which were designed to filter air via so-called moss filters, absorb toxic pollutants and collate air quality data for analysis. In November 2023, the Irish Examiner reported that a 190-page evaluation report of the devices concluded they provided 'no consistent evidence for improved air quality' either on the CityTree benches or 'in the immediate environs' of the machines. The council commissioned UCC in June 2022 to undertake the performance study on the machines, at a cost of €2,500, and conducted on eight different rain-free days during June and July 2022. A source of constant criticism since they were installed in 2020, UCC's Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry researcher Dean Venables labelled them 'a costly and ineffectual gimmick'. In September 2023, UCC emeritus professor of chemistry, John Sodeau, said the "trees" - which were removed from their wooden bases last month and placed in storage - were a waste of money. At the time they were removed, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said of the initiative: 'People try things out, some work out, some don't work out'. Just 'stumps' remain of the robot trees which have been removed from Cork City. Picture: Larry Cummins The most recent annual maintenance payments were revealed to Cork North Central Sinn Féin Thomas Gould as a result of a Freedom of Information request. He said: 'In a city that lacks benches, that has broken footpaths and too few real trees, it is insulting that this money was spent over a four-year period on a failed science experiment. 'When the studies in November 2023 failed to prove the effectiveness of the trees, we were told there would be extensive scientific study on them. How much has this cost? What did this report find?" He said there "should be no more gimmicks in Cork City". "We need safe footpaths, accessible benches and sufficient rubbish bins to prevent dog fouling," Mr Gould said. 'These may not be glamorous initiatives but they will make a huge real difference in the lives of ordinary people in our city.' Cork City Council was asked for a comment.
Extra.ie
18-05-2025
- General
- Extra.ie
Cork's 'robot trees' removed after years of criticism and high costs
Cork City's much-criticised 'robot trees' have been removed, bringing an end to a four-year saga of controversy, mounting maintenance costs, and persistent questions over their effectiveness. The CityTrees, moss-filled, high-tech air purifiers installed in 2021 – were taken down early this morning from their locations outside Dubray Books on Patrick Street and the City Library on Grand Parade. While the devices are gone, their hexagonal wooden bases remain, continuing to serve as public benches, which many locals have long joked was their most useful function. Billed as sustainable 'moss walls' designed to filter fine dust from the air, the five CityTrees were installed by Cork City Council at a cost of €355,000, funded through a €55 million National Transport Authority scheme aimed at promoting cleaner air and greener transport. The German-designed units were said to clean the equivalent of air breathed by up to 7,000 people per hour. Cork City's much-criticised 'robot trees' have been removed, bringing an end to a four-year saga of controversy, mounting maintenance costs, and persistent questions over their effectiveness. Pic: Cork City Council However, from the outset, the structures were dogged by controversy. In 2023, a University College Cork (UCC) report, commissioned at a cost of €2,500, failed to find conclusive evidence that the devices meaningfully improved air quality, in part due to readings being taken on low-pollution days. Atmospheric scientist Dr. Dean Venables of UCC had previously warned that while the CityTrees might have a limited localised effect, they were unlikely to have any real impact on citywide air quality. Pic: Cork City Council Labour councillor Peter Horgan went further, calling the devices 'the most expensive benches ever purchased by a local authority' and slamming the lack of transparency around their purchase. 'We'd have been far better off planting real trees,' he said, describing the moss machines as 'monstrosities with LED screens.' The annual upkeep of the units added fuel to the fire, costing the council over €17,000 each year. Frustration grew among elected members, who said they were kept in the dark about the decision to purchase the devices, with some resorting to Freedom of Information requests to uncover cost and maintenance details. For now, what's left behind in Cork is not cleaner air, but five pricey wooden platforms, reminders of an ambitious project that never quite took root.
