Removal of unused tree bays on Dominick Street wins support from councillors

Unused tree bays that are taking up parking spaces on Dominick Street, Mullingar, could be removed as part of the 2026 budget, following a call for their immediate removal.

The issue was raised at the July meeting of the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District by Cllr Andrew Duncan, who said several small islands, originally intended to house trees, now serve no purpose but continue to block valuable on-street parking.

In response to his motion, the council confirmed it had reviewed the location and agreed that the islands could be removed. However, the estimated cost exceeds €15,000, meaning the work would need to be considered in the 2026 budget process.

Cllr Duncan welcomed the response but urged that the work be carried out sooner. He said many parking spaces had already been lost on Dominick Street due to temporary Covid-era measures that now appeared permanent. While he made clear he was not proposing the removal of any trees, he said a number of the intrusions into parking bays were empty and "perform no useful purpose whatsoever".

"So I’d say the sooner to remove them the better," he added.

The mayor, Cllr Mick Dollard, also weighed in, highlighting a local restaurant that had taken over multiple parking bays for outdoor dining. He asked for clarity on the status of the licence, which was originally granted during the Covid period.

Director of services Deirdre Reilly confirmed that the licence in question is due to expire at the end of December 2025.

District engineer Pat Kavanagh said there were about four or five such tree bays that are now empty. He confirmed they could be removed, noting that while some had previously contained trees, they are now vacant islands.

Cllr Bill Collentine backed the motion, agreeing that the empty bays are taking up valuable space. He also suggested relocating any trees to wider footpaths to allow for even more parking.

"If we’re not going to sow the trees, the answer would be to remove those little islands and put parking there," he said.