ACTION 17. Prepare guidance notes to aid the design of new tree planting as part of the Development Management process.
[6.4] Street Trees Cork City currently has over 7,000 street trees, which contribute around 2% of the City’s overall tree canopy cover. Some neighbourhoods currently have a limited number of street trees, and public submissions indicated a strong interest in introducing more street trees into existing neighbourhoods. Cork City Council recognises the significant benefits provided by street trees (as set out in Chapter 1) and supports the principle of further street tree planting. However, due to the cost and complexity of integrating new trees into existing streetscapes, no specific commitments (outside of programmed public realm upgrades) can be made until additional funding is secured.
Figure 6.1 A parking space conversion in Dublin 8 (Photo credit @ The Liberties Dublin)
Figure 6.2 Example of a soil cell system
Introducing a street tree into an existing paved area can be costly. Recent projects carried out in Dublin (see Figure 6.1) and Fingal had an average cost of €10,000 per tree. The same costs can apply in streets that were previously tree-lined. Some of the former trees were removed because of issues including ‘root heave’ (which can cause footpaths to lift and crack). Preventing these issues in future will require the use of ‘soil cell’ systems, which allow tree roots to grow while also protecting surrounding infrastructure (see Figure 6.2). Even planting in existing green verges may not be straightforward, as space below ground is often taken up by ducting, pipes, and other services, locations of which are not fully mapped and require further investigation. In the interim, Cork City Council will continue to Incorporate in-ground street trees as part of planned public realm upgrades wherever feasible. For example, South Main Street public realm works will start construction soon, and several additional infrastructure projects, including Douglas Street, are currently in the planning stages. 11 Street tree planting will also be incorporated into the design of new roads and streets, including the Northern and Southern Multi-Modal Distributor Routes.
INTERNAL POLICY 9: New in-ground tree planting will be included in the design of new roads, streets, and public realm upgrades wherever feasible.
ACTION 18. Seek to identify budget sources to develop a programme for integrating new street trees into existing streets and develop strategies of how and where such planting should be prioritised.
11 Details are available on the City Council Sustainable Transport Scheme web page .
[ Locations for New Tree Planting ]
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