Benefits of children’s hospital ‘outweigh’ negatives, hearing told

School children living near the proposed new national paediatric hospital will be encouraged to consider medical jobs or other roles that might give them employment there, an oral hearing into the plan has heard.

Director of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board project John Pollock said internships, job placements and labour-activation programmes would all be used during both the construction and operational phases.

"These will leverage existing community and state supports but will be tailored to maximise the opportunities from the project," Mr Pollock told the An Bord Pleanála hearing in Dublin on Wednesday.

“Schools programmes will be rolled out to encourage children to consider medical or support roles from an early age.”

Mr Pollock said the community was very diverse in socio-economic terms and there was a “level of polarisation” with areas of relative disadvantage and affluence.

“In terms of education, the area has higher than average share of people with no more than primary school education, however, in general the educational profile of the area mirrors the Dublin picture more and the shares of those with third level qualifications is higher than the national average.”

The hospital will employ about 3,700 staff. The hearing was told an additional 300 jobs would be created in areas such as ICT support, maintenance, security and waste management. It will have an operating budget of €310 million a year.

Construction firms will be held to a target of 10 per cent of their construction job years for long-term unemployed people, new entrants or apprenticeships, Mr Pollock said.

Mr Pollock said the board wanted to be able to look back and say it had delivered for the community.

“We will be held to account on this,” he said.

If given permission, construction of the new €650 million national paediatric hospital will be one of the largest infrastructural projects in the history of the State, with the 12-acre site expected to be completed by 2020.

The hearing on Wednesday was also told the medical and wider economic benefits of the proposed new hospital will far outweigh any perceived negative impacts of the development.

Chartered town planner Paul O’Neill said the project would be the largest healthcare project of its kind ever undertaken in the country such would be its scale and nature. He said “its positive medical, educational, research and wider economic impacts will be of regional, national and, perhaps, international importance”.

Also giving evidence on behalf of the project board, Dr Martin Hogan said there would be no negative impacts on human health from the project.

Dr Hogan said that overall, the human health impacts of the proposed development would be positive, particularly for the children, young people and families who would benefit from the healthcare services at the new hospital.

Chartered valuation surveyor Donal fFrench O’Carroll said the new hospital would lead to increased residential property values in the area.

Architect John Kelly told the hearing that five properties on Brookfield Road would have their daylight limited by the hospital development.