Action group poised to object to hospital plans
By Mary Dennehy
DESIGNS for the new children’s hospital at St James’s Hospital and the two new satellite centres for Tallaght and Blanchardstown are ready to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála, with the Tallaght Hospital Action Group poised to lodge an objection.
The final design of the facilities were presented at a recent meeting of the Board of the National Children’s Hospital in Tallaght.
The new children’s hospital will bring the three existing children’s hospitals – the National Children’s Hospital at Tallaght, Our Lady’s, Crumlin, and Temple Street – together and co-locate them on a shared campus with St James’s Hospital – alongside a redeveloped Coombe maternity hospital which, originally planned for Tallaght, is also en route to St James’s.
According to the HSE, locating a children’s hospital, adult teaching hospital and maternity hospital on the one campus is recognised internationally as the configuration which will provide the best clinical outcomes.
However, the Tallaght Hospital Action Group [THAG] has told The Echo that it will be lodging an objection to the planning application, based on issues with car-parking and accessibility.
“We have major concerns over the accessibility of the site and car-parking”, Richie O’Reilly of THAG said.
“The site at St James’s is too small and cluttered and families are concerned over the accessibility of site.”
He added: “The satellite centre for Tallaght is also a glorified clinic. We want proper services with overnight beds – and are committed to ensuring that children’s services at Tallaght are not downgraded.”
THAG have been meeting with residents who live in the communities surrounding St James’s, many of whom have also expressed their concerns over traffic and car-parking.
