The planning application for the National Children's Hospital has been lodged with An Bord Pleanála.
Following years of debate and controversy, the choice of site for the National Children's Hospital is still a divisive one. The Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, said a huge amount of work had been done over the past four years to get the planning detail right and to ensure the facility could be completed by 2019.
The long awaited planning application for the project at St James's Hospital complex has been submitted to An Bord Pleanála. It is estimated that the construction will cost €650 million. John Pollock, National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, says that there has been a long consultation process on the project. Leo Varadkar is confident that planning permission will be granted and work can get underway.
The new hospital brings together Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin, Temple Street Children's Hospital and the National Children's Hospital in Tallaght. It will have 380 single rooms and accommodation for parents as well as a thousand car parking spaces.
Despite the submission of plans, the controversy around the location of the hospital continues. Jonathan Irwin, Chief Executive of the Jack & Jill Children's Foundation, says there is still time to switch the location to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown. He believes that the location of the National Children's Hospital at James's Street is wrong.
Also submitted were planning applications for two satellite centres at Tallaght and Connolly hospitals, which will deal with minor illnesses and injuries.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 August 2015. The reporter is Fergal Bowers.
