Limerick city centre parklets ‘deteriorating’ and ‘excessive mould’ present

INSPECTIONS of parklets in the city centre revealed many to be infested with weeds, with wood deteriorating and “excessive green mould” present.
Business owners in Limerick were left furious after seeing outdoor seating erected by the council during the Covid-19 pandemic ripped out, with many claiming there was no notice given.
One trader, Jono Crute of Crew Brew in Thomas Street, has directly blamed the removal of the parklet outside his premises for his decision to cease trading on Christmas Eve, saying his trade relied on it.

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Council’s metropolitan district boss Kieran Lehane told members at this month’s meeting that “in the interests of safety,” a decision was taken to remove the temporary parklets.
To support this, he provided a comprehensive report prepared by the council’s health and safety department, who inspected 11 parklets outside city businesses in May.
This came following a question from Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan, who has campaigned for the retention of the parklets.
A number of build-outs were described as having “dirty and slippery” floors, with others having large amounts of cigarette butts and other debris.
In one instance, a shelf was “rotting” and left “compromising the top row of the parklet”.
Another shelf in a separate parklet had “collapsed completely,” according to the report.
One parklet was described as being “dirty” with “green and black mould”.
The timber on another was referenced as showing “signs of deep damp”.
The same structure was also described as having “minor movement” in its walls. The parkets were installed in 2020 to support businesses during Covid-19.