Trees at Athlone barracks were removed 'for safety reasons'

The Defence Forces said a prominent row of trees in Athlone, which were cut down during the pandemic in 2020, were removed because they posed a risk to public safety.

The large trees had been located in Custume Barracks, alongside the public roadway at Grace Road/Elliott Road. They were next to a football field in the barracks that was known as Sick Horse Field.

It's now well over two years since the trees were removed, and a member of the public contacted the Westmeath Independent recently to express concern that they did not appear to have been replaced since then.

The Defence Forces has responded by saying replacement trees were planted at the same location, but that these native trees were currently much smaller because they hadn't yet matured.

In time, the replacement trees would provide "a more appropriate vista in the area" than the ones they replaced, according to a Defence Forces spokesperson.

"Following an inspection by a professional contractor, these trees were removed in 2020 for health and safety reasons as they were ageing and had weakened in recent years, posing a possible risk of collapse," the spokerson, Comdt Gemma Fagan, said in a statement today (Monday).

"The decision to remove the trees was then made in the interest of public safety. The trees were replaced with native trees in April 2021.

"While it is acknowledged that these trees are currently much smaller than the trees they replaced (less than 2 meters), in the coming years it is anticipated that they will mature to provide an even more appropriate vista in the area than the non-native trees that were removed."