Cork's 'robotrees' survive for at least six more months

Move comes despite report which shows they have had little effect on air quality and will cost almost €18,000 a year to maintain

Picture: Cork City Council

Cork city councillors have dug in and agreed to keep the city’s ‘robotrees’ for at least six months despite a report which shows they have had little effect on air quality and will cost almost €18,000 a year to maintain.

They also backed the decision to buy the moss wall air filters, using post-covid stimulus funding from central government, and said local authorities must continue to be bold and innovative on environmental issues.

The comments were made during an hour-long debate at Cork City Council on a report on the moss wall, or CityTree devices, which was first presented to the council's environment strategic policy committee (SPC) last week.

That report contained a UCC study on the devices which found “no consistent evidence for improved air quality” either on the CityTree benches or “in the immediate environs” of the machines, and suggested extra research was required.

The SPC recommendation to seek a research partner to undertake that extra research came before the council on Monday night, where nine of the 14 speakers backed keeping the robotress.

Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle, chair of the environment SPC, said it was important to view the spend on the devices in the wider context of council efforts to improve air quality but Solidarity Cllr Brian McCarthy described the machines as a “massive white elephant”.

“They are not effective and not cost-effective. The money would have been better spent protecting nature rather than replacing it,” he said.

An Rabartha Glas Cllr Lorna Bogue said the city was “sold a pup” and she criticised the state for handing out money “willy nilly” and telling local authorities to spend it on “some cookie new tech”.

Sinn Fein's Mick Nugent called for more research while Labour Cllr John Maher said the city tried something innovative, but the results are inconclusive. 

"We’ve spent enough,” he said.

Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran said it’s time to accept that the devices don’t do what it was expected they would do.

"We can’t go on spending 18,000 a year to keep them going,” he said.

He backed Mr Maher’s call for enforcement of the so-called Panaban on St Patrick’s St, which he said would have a better impact on air quality in the city centre.

But Fianna Fáil Cllr Fergal Dennehy said: “I would hate to be part of a council not willing to take a risk or to take a chance. Let’s get off the social media bandwagon, let’s give the director space and time to see if we can work with universities, or other groups, and stop running our meetings from social media."

Fine Gael Cllr Deirdre Forde criticised negative media coverage of the devices and said "innovation should be celebrated".

Fianna Fáil Cllr John Sheehan, a GP, said the devices have provoked discussion on air quality, and the city should use them as an educational tool.

Fine Gael Cllr Damian Boylan said innovation must be encouraged and that mistakes will happen on that journey, while party colleague Des Cahill described the €18,000 annual maintenance cost as “a drop in the ocean” of the city’s budget.

The robotrees will be kept on the agenda of the environment SPC over the next six months for updates.