THE HSE has applied for planning permission for a new haematology and pathology laboratory at Ennis Hospital.
The proposed development will be housed in a protected structure on the west side of the hospital grounds, situated across the road from the Active Ennis Leisure Centre.
The application for the development includes plans for an entrance lobby for sample drop off and collection and a staff room, store room and office. The building currently houses a boiler room and an EGH Pathology Laboratory. A number of works are planned within the building to allow for the development including the removal of partition walls, altering of the stairs and alterations to the current doors and windows.
According to the HSE, the pathology department undertake in the region of twelve million tests per annum. “Over the past 10 years samples’ numbers have increased by approximately 50 percent,” they outlined in the planning application.
“It is expected that this increase will continue over the next ten years. There are further plans in place to centralise GP work for the rest of the region will result in an increase in the routine workload of approximately 25-50% for Haematology/Biochemistry. To meet these demands, it will be necessary to increase the analytical capacity and to automate work practice”, they continued.
The project is designed to serve patients from Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, classified as being part of UL Hospitals Group.
The HSE has addressed sustainability concerns in their application “External walls, the existing uninsulated mass concrete walls have poor thermal performance negatively impacting the laboratory environment. Proposed works include providing internal wall insulation with a vapor barrier, impact resistant plasterboard and antibacterial finishes to improve the performance of the walls”.
The building is part of a number of protected structures at the site and forms part of the original Ennis Hospital that was built in the town between 1935 and 1940. The nurses’ home, mortuary building and hospital buildings are also protected structures.
Clare County Council will make a decision on whether or not to grant permission for the development on the 7th of August 2025. Submissions can be made until the 17th of July.
