Council seeks to buy up land on hospital site

WITH the closure of St Finan’s Psychiatric Hospital in Killarney looming ever closer, the town council is stepping up pressure to obtain some of the land around the hospital for housing.

The council, which has been finding it impossible to compete with private developers for the purchase of housing land in the town, is to discuss the situation at a meeting this week.

Efforts by the council to get land from the former Southern Health Board were not successful and councillors are now hoping for favourable consideration from the Health Service Executive (HSE).