Plan for second hospital in doubt after man objects

PLANS for a second private hospital in Waterford have been thrown into doubt by a sole objection which could delay the project.

An Bord Pleanala yesterday confirmed a single appeal had been lodged against the project given the green light by Waterford City Council on July 20.

The appeal was lodged just hours before the deadline for such an objection.

The board is now not due to make a decision on the future of the hospital until December 20.

The objection by Michael Morrissey of Blacknock, Kilmeaden, is against the granting of planning permission to Harlequin Healthcare by Waterford City Council for a two-storey 40-bedroom day hospital with a total floor area of 6,107 square metres at Kilbarry, Waterford.

Mr Morrissey wrote to the local authority during the planning process expressing concern at various features of the Harlequin site. In a four-page submission, he said the proposal materially contravened the zoning for the area.

He also complained that access arrangements were “poor” and the proposal “does not link effectively with existing services or with the population it is intended to serve”.

Joe Kelly, of Harlequin Healthcare, described the objection as “a major setback”, adding: “I am disappointed and surprised that someone found it necessary to appeal. It is a major setback to our plan to get on site and begin works within weeks,” he said.

Earlier this summer, Waterford County Council approved a change to its county development plan to allow for a completely separate hospital, also mooted by a private consortium, at Butlerstown North.

The developers behind the Cork Road hospital say that 200 jobs will be created during the construction phase of their hospital and 150 long-term positions will be created when it’s operational in mid-2006.

One of the doctors behind the project, Dr Ken Patterson, said the development would ease the physical stress on patients in need of radiotherapy.

“In excess of 500 patients are referred from this region each year for radiotherapy and many more cancer patients will receive this potentially life-saving treatment when it is available at this site. This will ease the physical stress on these patients and, over a period of time, survival rates in the south-east from various forms of cancer are likely to improve.”

Dr Patterson said detailed negotiations would begin with the Department of Health and the South Eastern Health Board on the provision of radiotherapy and a full suite of other treatments to public patients when the project was near completion. He said they would also then begin negotiations with the National Treatment Purchase Fund and the main private health insurers.