Petition over children’s hospital move signed by 60,000

A petition signed by over 60,000 people opposed to the siting of the new national children’s hospital at St James’s Hospital has been handed in to Government Buildings.

The Connolly for Kids campaign, which favours locating the hospital on a greenfield site at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, is calling for a public hearing on the issue at the Oireachtas health committee.

The petition was handed in to staff at Government Buildings after the group was told no-one was available from the Taoiseach’s office to take it personally.

Hospital co-location which would save lives was being threatened by the Government’s current plan, one campaigner said.

"The one co-location which will result in lives being saved - that of the children's hospital with a maternity hospital - is being jeopardised by the Government's blind perseverance with this deeply flawed site," said Dr Fin Breathnach, of the campaign.

“If a co-located maternity hospital is not built, then it is inevitable that babies with continue to die each year during the planned 100 years lifespan of the children’s hospital.”

A children's hospital at Blanchardstown could be built for €250 million less than at St James's and one year quicker, Jimmy Sheehan, founder of the Blackrock Clinic, told a press conference.

Tuesday marked the deadline for the filing of a judicial review against the decision by An Bord Pleanála last April to grant planning permission to the €650-plus million project at St James's.

The board developing the hospital says it has completed the tendering process for the first phase of the development and a contract is due to be appointed by the end of this month. This will enable site clearance to begin from the middle of July.

However, the Connolly for Kids group says support for its stance is continuing to grow. An opinion poll published last week found more than 70 per cent of people thought the St James’s site was inappropriate, it pointed out.