‘Expensive benches’ a public relations failure as 'CityTrees' go into storage

The five 4m tall ‘CityTrees’, which were installed on Patrick Street and the Grand Parade in August 2021, cost €355,106 to install.
The five 4m tall ‘CityTrees’, which were installed on Patrick Street and the Grand Parade in August 2021, contained moss walls designed to filter pollutants from the air.
They cost €355,106 to install, and this was covered under a €4m allocation from the National Transport Authority to Cork City Council.
Between August 2022 and September 2023, maintenance of the units cost €17,880. Subsequent maintenance costs have not been published.
On Sunday morning, councillors received an email from the council saying that the bases of the units would be kept for seating, and the local authority would be partnering with “the UCC/MTU t Cork Centre for Architectural Education to explore a repurposing of the structures”.