diff --git a/src/main/java/it/inaf/oats/vospace/persistence/NodeDAO.java b/src/main/java/it/inaf/oats/vospace/persistence/NodeDAO.java
index 38137e68264480af5b94165430a906fc9c4fbeef..640eeec04e37a841a3aba8212d2e8858687051ba 100644
--- a/src/main/java/it/inaf/oats/vospace/persistence/NodeDAO.java
+++ b/src/main/java/it/inaf/oats/vospace/persistence/NodeDAO.java
@@ -140,25 +140,6 @@ public class NodeDAO {
         return Optional.of(node);
     }
 
-    public List<String> listNodeChildren(String path) {
-
-        String sql = "SELECT n.name\n"
-                + "FROM node n\n"
-                + "WHERE n.path ~ ('*.' || id_from_vos_path(?) || '.*{1}')::lquery\n"
-                + "ORDER BY n.path";
-
-        List<String> childrenNames = jdbcTemplate.query(conn -> {
-            PreparedStatement ps = conn.prepareStatement(sql);
-            int i = 0;
-            ps.setString(++i, path);
-            return ps;
-        }, (row, index) -> {
-            return row.getString("name");
-        });
-
-        return childrenNames;
-    }
-
     public Node setNode(Node newNode) {
         return setNode(newNode, false);
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/it/inaf/oats/vospace/persistence/NodeDAOTest.java b/src/test/java/it/inaf/oats/vospace/persistence/NodeDAOTest.java
index f1c2107422f030e378787a4c1c045859af32210a..30e8fe6a71756372d73ffc3392ddf76d04afd25f 100644
--- a/src/test/java/it/inaf/oats/vospace/persistence/NodeDAOTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/it/inaf/oats/vospace/persistence/NodeDAOTest.java
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public class NodeDAOTest {
         ReflectionTestUtils.setField(dao, "authority", AUTHORITY);
     }
 
-    
+
     @Test
     public void testCreateNode() {
         DataNode dataNode = new DataNode();
@@ -100,16 +100,6 @@ public class NodeDAOTest {
         assertEquals(bTime, NodeProperties.getNodePropertyByURI(root.getNodes().get(0), NodeProperties.DATE_URI));
     }
 
-    @Test
-    public void testListNodeChildren() {
-        assertTrue(dao.listNodeChildren("/test4").isEmpty());
-        List<String> children = dao.listNodeChildren("/test2");
-        assertFalse(children.isEmpty());
-        assertTrue(children.size() == 2);
-        assertTrue(children.containsAll(List.of("f4", "f5")));
-
-    }
-
     @Test
     public void testGetQuotaAndMD5() {
 
@@ -285,7 +275,7 @@ public class NodeDAOTest {
 
     }
 
-    
+
     @Test
     public void testMoveNodeBranch() {
         // Let's move /test3/m1 to /test3/group1
@@ -321,7 +311,7 @@ public class NodeDAOTest {
 
         Optional<Long> optSourceChildId = dao.getNodeId("/test3/m1/m2");
         assertTrue(optSourceChildId.isPresent());
-        
+
         Optional<Long> optSourceChildLinkId = dao.getNodeId("/test3/m1/link1");
         assertTrue(optSourceChildLinkId.isPresent());
 
@@ -341,38 +331,38 @@ public class NodeDAOTest {
 
         Optional<Long> recheckSourceChild = dao.getNodeId("/test3/m1/m2");
         assertTrue(recheckSourceChild.isPresent());
-        
+
         Optional<Long> resultIdChildLink = dao.getNodeId("/test3/group1/copy_of_m1/link1");
         assertTrue(resultIdChildLink.isPresent());
-        
+
         Optional<Long> recheckSourceChildLink = dao.getNodeId("/test3/m1/link1");
         assertTrue(recheckSourceChildLink.isPresent());
 
     }
-    
+
     @Test
     public void testMoveAndCopyIntegrated() {
-                
+
         assertTrue(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer").isPresent());
         assertTrue(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer/destination2").isPresent());
         assertTrue(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer/destination2/control").isPresent());
-                
+
         dao.copyBranch("/mycontainer/destination2/control", "/mycontainer/control");
-        
+
         assertTrue(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer/container1").isPresent());
-        
-        Optional<ShortNodeDescriptor> optSnd = 
+
+        Optional<ShortNodeDescriptor> optSnd =
                 dao.getShortNodeDescriptor("/mycontainer/destination2", "user3", List.of("group1"));
-        
+
         dao.moveNodeBranch(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer/container1").get(), optSnd.get().getDestinationNodeLtreePath());
-        
+
         assertTrue(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer/destination2/container1").isPresent());
-        assertTrue(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer/container1").isEmpty());        
+        assertTrue(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer/container1").isEmpty());
         dao.copyBranch("/mycontainer/destination2/container1", "/mycontainer/container1");
-        
+
         assertTrue(dao.getNodeId("/mycontainer/container1").isPresent());
     }
-    
+
 
     @Test
     public void testRenameNode() {