PLANS to build a €25m HSE community hospital on green space at St Flannan’s College in Ennis have been refused.
An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) have refused the development, overturning the decision of Clare County Council to grant permission in April 2023. It marks the end of a planning battle dating back more than three years to August 2022 when plans were first lodged for the 100 bed hospital.
Teaching staff at St Flannan’s College along with the Board of Management at the school had lodged appeals to ACP along with four appeals lodged by local residents against the Council permission.
A 75 strong group staff objection from St Flannan’s College objected to the planned hospital.
The planning application had the Board of Management and teaching staff at loggerheads with the local Catholic dioceses and Bishop of Killaloe, Fintan Monahan who had agreed to sell the diocesan-owned school green space to the HSE for the hospital development.
The land deal was subject to the HSE securing planning permission for the hospital which was earmarked to replace the existing St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis.
The planning commission has refused planning permission over the inability of existing Uisce Éireann waste water infrastructure in Ennis to accommodate the hospital.
In its refusal, the Commission stated that it was not satisfied that the HSE has clearly demonstrated that the proposed arrangements for wastewater disposal from the proposed development, including the manner of the connection to Uisce Éireann infrastructure, are adequate to cater satisfactorily for the proposed development.
Inspector in the case, Dáire McDevitt recommended a second reason for refusal stating that due to the undertaking of construction works adjoining the proposed hospital site, where Knockanean NS is currently being accommodated, it has changed the baseline environment and therefore the appropriate assessment undertaken and submitted is fundamentally flawed.
However, that reason for refusal was not adopted by ACP.
In the appeal lodged on behalf of the college’s Board of Management, it told the Council that “other suitable sites, which do not cut across existing intensive use by a large proportion of the youth of the area must be available”.
The board of management stated that “it surely cannot be the case that the provision of proper healthcare and the provision of sporting facilities for the youth of the area must be placed in conflict”.
In their objection, the staff told the Council that the hospital proposal “will have a seriously negative impact on the student population of St Flannan’s College”.
They stated that “St Flannan’s College is the only school in the town with the potential to expand if needed. We believe that it would be incredibly short sighted were the lands to be taken away from any future development.”
They further stated that “the green field site at St Flannan’s College is the last remaining of its kind in Ennis. Urban sprawl is taking up much more of our green spaces each year. Once built, this land will be gone forever”.
