Eighteen families ‘in darkness’ because of Rathealy Road trees
Eighteen families have allegedly been ‘living in darkness’ on Rathealy Road due to trees located in close proximity to their homes.
News of this follows a recent article in The Avondhu in which a
Senior Engineer with Cork County Council made a recommendation to elected members that the trees be cut down and replaced, due to issues with overshadowing and the undermining of the nearby protected Promenade wall.
According to property owner affected by the trees, Maurice Neligan, while the trees are located outside the Promenade wall, they are having a negative impact on residents residing in the building a mere 12 feet away.
“There are 18 families living here, some of them have young children and they’re living in darkness for ten months of the year.
They (the trees) are coming in onto private property and it’s like putting a shade over all of the houses. There are 18 families here being robbed of light.
“The effect that this is having on the families here, it’s costing them more in heating, lighting and energy. They’re getting no sun because they’re kept in darkness,” Mr Neligan said.
‘OUT OF PROPORTION’
As well as overshadowing, the trees which now stretch the height of the three-storey building, are also causing further issues due to their continued growth in such close proximity to the building.
“We are trying all the time to curtail the trees in some way. They’re sycamore trees and they grow about 3ft a year and the branches protrude towards the wall of the building. It’s a three-storey building and they’re up over the height of the building. They’re already being cut twice a year but the nature of these trees is rapid growth.
“Every year, the building has to be washed down by a special machine because of the sap left by the trees. You have to go up 40ft to soft wash it and it’s costing €3,000 a year to clean it.
“When we got planning for this building, these trees weren’t here then. Now they’re 12ft from the building. Nobody planted them, they were just seedlings that were left to grow and then they tried to maintain them as best as they could. Until about 20 years ago, there was no footpath here, this was all overgrown. Now the trees are out of proportion,” Mr Neligan said.
At the Fermoy Municipal District meeting where the matter was raised, local councillor and chairperson of Fermoy Tidy Towns, Noel McCarthy, expressed some concerns and sought that an alternative to cutting down the trees be sought.
Speaking this week, Cllr McCarthy said that he maintains his position in seeking an alternative to the cutting down and removal of the trees.
“We (Fermoy Tidy Towns) felt that the best approach is to seek an alternative to cutting down the trees. As a local councillor, what I’m hearing is that people living along that road don’t want them cut down either. They’re there such a long time. I am happy to meet with Maurice Neligan and the residents as a local councillor. Maurice has always been a good supporter of the Tidy Towns,” Cllr McCarthy said.
In a statement issued to The Avondhu, Fermoy Tidy Towns stated that it ‘ cannot condone cutting down any healthy trees’, no matter their location in Fermoy.
“Obviously, there can be exceptions to this. However, that would require full cooperation of all the landowners, all local residents and Cork County Council,” the statement read.
Exceptions, it noted, include diseased trees, and potential dangers to public safety and/or property.
“Fermoy Tidy Towns Committee have been dragged into a dispute on The Promenade which has nothing to do with us and we will not be commenting further. It’s time for all parties to sit down, discuss and compromise to reach an amicable solution. This is a private matter between the landowners, all the residents on Rathealy Road and Cork County Council,” the statement added.
WALL HEIGHT
Cllr Frank Roche supported the calls for the trees to be removed, stating that it is his belief that nearby residents are affected by them and citing concerns for the historic promenade wall.
According to Cllr Roche, suggestions have been made for the trees to be cut to ‘wall height’ and for wood carvings to be created from the existing stumps and for more, more suitable, trees to be planted elsewhere in the area instead.
“I looked at them myself and in all fairness, I do think they should be knocked and brought down to wall level because they are blocking the view of the people inside that building,” he said.