Cork suburb residents threaten to chain themselves to trees earmarked for removal

A protest walk is due to take place on Saturday morning, with residents of Knockfree Avenue in Farranree calling on the community to help support their cause

Construction fencing around works on Knockpogue Avenue where the council plans to cut down 22 mature trees and reduce parking. Picture: Larry Cummins

Residents in a Cork suburb have threatened to chain themselves to trees if Cork City Council cuts them down to facilitate an upgrade to “provide safer transport facilities".

Those living at Knockfree Avenue in Farranree have been campaigning to stop council plans to cut down 22 mature trees in their area and reduce parking.

A protest walk is due to take place on Saturday morning, with residents calling on the community to help support their cause.

The €7m Knockpogue Knockfree Avenue project was unanimously approved by Cork City Council in April 2023.

The scheme has been billed as an enhancement to both pedestrian and cycling infrastructure along a 1.4km stretch of road between Gurranabraher and Farranree. 

This would connect facilities and residential areas with continuous pedestrian facilities involving footpaths, crossings, cycle infrastructure, public lighting and traffic calming measures.

Local residents Michelle Hegarty and Sharon Hussey claimed there has been no consultation, no public meetings, and no communication from the council regarding these trees.

“We have residents who have been living here their whole life and who know these trees really well. They give the homes much-needed cloud cover, especially during the heatwave; one resident said they wouldn’t have been able to come into their front room during the day if those trees were not there,” Ms Hussey told the Irish Examiner.

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said similar tree removal to support the active travel scheme has taken place in places such as Marina Promenade, Marina Park, the Mahon Renewal Scheme and Grange to Tramore Valley Way.

They said this was followed by “comprehensive replanting programmes focusing on native species, with more trees planted afterwards in each of these areas than existed before".