Plan to move €366k 'robo trees' from Cork to Dublin gets chop over safety fears
The two 'CityTrees' – which were originally installed in Cork city four years ago to clean pollutants from the air – have now been put into storage by the city council with no firm plans for their future.
The trees were purchased with a grant from the National Transport Authority. The overall costs involved in the project have now reached more than €440,000, with a proposal for them to be moved to Dublin's Connolly Station permanently derailed.
The 'trees', built by a German company, were placed in 2021 at Grand Parade and Patrick's Street in Cork, where academics and environmentalists slammed them as 'ineffective' and an example of 'wasteful spending'. A plan to move two 'robo-trees' – which cost the taxpayer €366,000 – to a Dublin train station were abandoned over concerns they could be a fire hazard or used as climbing frames by delinquent youths. Pic: Cork City Council
Even before they were removed from their Leeside platforms in May, it had been proving difficult to find a new home for them.
Email exchanges beginning last year show how Irish Rail did not believe it was workable to have them indoors because too many of their components were wooden.
In discussions with the manufacturer, the rail operator said all furniture in Ireland needed to meet certain standards and that the timber would need to be replaced.
The manufacturer responded saying: 'As the CityTrees are made from timber, it's not really possible to replace it without building completely new products (also the inner frame is made of timber).'
The manufacturer suggested that a mini-fire extinguisher could be placed beside them or they could have a fire protection paint applied to them. Pic: Cork City Council
Irish Rail also asked whether the two robo-trees were 'anti-climb', saying that train stations were a 'notorious hot-spot for vandalism and anti-social behaviour.'
The manufacturers said they could not guarantee they were '100% resistant towards unusual use' but they had no experience of people climbing them.
'The wooden cladding is made as good as possible [to be] unfriendly to climb,' said an email. 'We have to consider [installing] anti-dove spikes anyways, so that would decrease the risk of climbers?' Irish Rail was also worried about how the two €183,000 units would be moved, given their size, and whether they could be taken apart.
An email from the manufacturer said: 'The CityTree itself is divisible in two parts – lower and upper unit. These both can be separated for transportation.'
The manufacturers said Irish Rail did not have to keep hexagonal seating at the base and that these could be safely removed.
By February, Cork City Council still believed the plan for the move was going ahead, and asked if Irish Rail could take them by the end of the month.
An email from the local authority to Irish Rail said: 'We are currently preparing a press release for that week. 'Are you happy for us to say the walls are being transported to Irish Rail where they will be trialled in a train station platform setting?' However, the council's hopes were dashed soon after when Irish Rail's environmental and sustainability manager said the robo-trees would not be taken due to 'safety concerns'.
A message from the rail operator said: 'Specifically, they must not contain flammable materials, such as the wooden slats on the exterior, and there is also a risk of them being used for climbing.'
The email said Irish Rail had been in touch with the manufacturers about making them safe for indoor use, but this was 'not feasible'.
'While the supplier suggested fire extinguishers or fire-retardant paint as mitigation measures, these do not meet fire safety regulations,' an official wrote.
'Additionally, there is a strict prohibition on wooden elements in high-traffic railway stations.'
The robo-trees were bought in 2020 for installation in Cork city the following year. They caused controversy from the outset amid claims they were a 'gimmick.'
Annual maintenance costs for the eco-friendly moss walls were around €17,000, with upkeep of the machines ending this year.
Asked about the future plans for the 'robo-trees,' a spokesman for Cork City Council remained tight-lipped.
He said the council would not provide the total costs of the abandoned scheme or what plans they now had for reuse, and said the council 'don't have comment [at] this time'.
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