HSE care centre may be in doubt over planning appeal

The construction of a major new HSE primary care centre in Dublin may be in doubt following an appeal to An Bórd Pleanála over its construction.

Work on the Curlew Road Health Centre in Drimnagh, which is located near Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin, was due to commence shortly following planning approval from Dublin City Council. However, construction will now be delayed until November at the very earliest pending a decision by the State planning authority.

The original proposal included the erection of a three-storey GP centre accommodating 10 GPs and three nurses with provisions for physiotherapy, speech therapy, addiction services and dispensary facilities. The application also featured a new community centre with dining facilities, crèche and social services, as well as a newly-built Alzheimer’s day care centre.

This would involve the demolition of the existing HSE health centre, along with the current Mother McCauley Community Centre and original Alzheimer’s day care centre on site.

It comes following calls for a suspension of all planning decisions regarding a new children’s hospital in St James’s pending an investigation into the awarding of the architectural contract to the firm responsible for the failed Mater children’s hospital proposals.

Independent TD Mattie McGrath has poured scorn on the role of O’Connell Mahon Architects in the wake of the Mater planning refusal, and has questioned the wisdom in trusting the same company to design plans for a latest attempt at building a children’s hospital to supplement the work of Our Lady’s in Crumlin.

“Not only have the architects of the disastrous Mater debacle been reassigned to this new project, but now the very same road engineers who contributed to the controversy are reinvolved,” said McGrath, TD for Tipperary South.

“I will be seeking ways to bring this matter before the Dáil Public Accounts Committee given that there has already been an estimated loss of between €40 and €50million paid out in professional fees for the now-defunct Mater proposal.

“We seem to be on an endless merry-go-round of wasted fees and incoherent proposals and the only people getting any enjoyment out of it are the same companies who have already proven that their designs are unlikely to pass Bord Pleanála guidelines,” he said.