Planning experts to examine options for children's hospital

MARTIN WALL, BARRY ROCHE and DEAGLÁN de BRÉADÚN

PLANNING EXPERTS will be among the new group that will examine the implications of An Bord Pleanála’s refusal of permission for the new national children’s hospital.

Sources said the group, to be established by the Government and chaired by former Health Service Executive chairman Frank Dolphin, would comprise five or six members, among them people with both strong planning and clinical expertise.

Government sources said last night that Minister for Health James Reilly would brief the Cabinet today on the issue.

It is understood the Minister will announce the appointment of the group within days.

Government sources said last night the Coalition was “determined to follow through on building a children’s hospital”. One of the options mooted is to develop a smaller-sized national children’s hospital on the site of Dublin’s Mater, using space earmarked for education and training facilities as well as for a new maternity unit.

However, the new group is expected to provide options to the Government.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said yesterday it was not “at all” anticipated that the new hospital would be refused planning permission.

The Government will have to take stock of the situation and see what the options are, he said.

“There is no perfect site, there was never a perfect site, and that was always the problem really. What you want, number one, is to co-locate children with maternity and then, secondly, with adult and with academics so you know really, the serious options were the Mater or James’s and they both had their pluses and minuses,” he said.

Asked if it was realistic now for the hospital to be built at the Mater site, Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton said: “I’m sure we’ll get first indication at the Cabinet [today] what is possible, but I’m not going to prejudge that.

“This is clearly an issue where the Government is determined to build a children’s hospital but we have to fulfil all the requirements and the options will be looked at by the Minister.”

Minister for Energy and Communications Pat Rabbitte said rejection of the children’s hospital project at the Mater site increases the urgency to finesse the legislation and practice in the planning process.

Sinn Féin’s health spokesman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said the Government should proceed as speedily as possible. Socialist Party MEP Paul Murphy said An the Bord Pleanála’s decision “underlines the inappropriate nature” of the Mater site.

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