MAURICE BRYAN,
Madam, - Visitors to Terenure's Bushy Park entering from Fortfield Road will in future be confronted by the mutilated skeleton of a fine oak tree. If they continue along the new tarmac strip they will see 19 other fine trees that have been similarly brutalised, though to a lesser degree.
Most will wonder if another suburban chain-saw maniac is on the loose, and would probably be amazed to learn that this devastation was carried out at the behest of the very body charged with protecting this splendid amenity, namely the parks division of Dublin City Council.
What they will not see is the damage that has also been done to the root systems of the trees, where ordinary construction operatives were allowed to dig foundations for the strip without any qualified supervision. In this process the roots were gouged and, in several cases, cut completely. This continued to the end of the works despite complaints to the parks division!
This damage will undoubtedly hasten the demise of these fine old trees, which have stood for more than a century and were one of the glories handed on to the council when it took over the park. The works were apparently necessary to construct a new cycle track parallel to Templeogue Road, though one must seriously query the wisdom of mixing fast-moving cyclists with walkers, runners and playing children. This is quite apart from the fact that cycling within the boundaries of the park is a breach of the council's own bye-laws!
This sorry episode comes on the heels of the destruction along the western side of the park, where a fine old wall and mature trees were grubbed out to provide a vista for new apartments in exchange for a £100,000 "consideration" from the developer! Together they prove that the solemn commitments to the enhancement of biodiversity contained in the council's new 10-year strategy, "Dublin - A City of Possibilities", are so much expensively produced hot air.
Truly we should ask: who will guard these guardians? - Yours, etc.,
MAURICE BRYAN,
Conservation Adviser,
Butterfield Park,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.