You probably heard about An Bord Pleanála refusing planning for the new children’s hospital, but it may not be as bad as it seems.
JOE’s here to help explain why the decision was made in the first place.
So, what’s this about An Bord Pleanála refusing the plans for a new children’s hospital?
Well, according to today’s Irish Independent, the inspectors at An Bord Pleanála chose to refuse the €450m, 15-storey, 400-bed hospital, which was to be located on Eccles Street, because of concerns over its height and size. In a statement released by An Bord Pleanála, they said the following: “The building’s height, scale, form and mass would result in a dominant and visually incongruous structure. It would therefore have a negative impact on the appearance of the city’s skyline.”
So what you’re saying is they’ve stopped it because it will feck up ‘the city’s skyline’?
Well, that’s pretty much what the inspectors from An Bord Pleanála had to say about it, along with these other rulings: “It would be a bad fit for the historic nature of the city”, it would “detract from the setting and character of protected structures and streetscapes” and because “it would hamper favoured vistas (views) of O’Connell Street and North Great George’s Street”.
That’s outrageous… I bet there’s a few people fuming over this one?
Well, not as many as you might think. Members of the New Children’s Hospital Alliance (NCHA) have actually welcomed the move.
They’ve welcomed the move? Why?
They’ve come out and welcomed the refusal of the plan on Eccles Street because… well, because it’s on Eccles Street – slap bang in the middle of the city. Members of the NCHA have said putting a children’s hospital in the middle of a busy city is entirely wrong. Well, it doesn’t sound right, that’s for sure.
Other locations are now being considered, one of which includes building the hospital on a large open field at Newlands Cross near Clondalkin. At least something like this would be out of the way of the city centre and located near the M50 and the N7.
So it’s a good thing that they’ve refused permission for the new site?
Well, in a way, yes. Obviously, the new children’s hospital may be put on the backburner for another year or so (it was planned to open by the end of 2016) so this could see some children having to wait even longer for vital health care. Nobody wants to see that.
But the new hospital may be located somewhere less central so that it’s easier for people outside of Dublin to get access to it. So it’s actually good news, but all the fuss and confusion could probably have been avoided.
