€11m may have been wasted on Mater designs

OVER €11 million spent drawing up the original plans to relocate Temple Street Children’s Hospital may go to waste because they predate the decision to build a national children’s hospital.

The original plans formed part of the overall Mater and Children’s Hospital Development (MCHD) project — an integrated development plan — which was halted in November 2005 to allow a nationwide review of paediatric services.

The original plan was for a 170-bed children’s hospital, with specially-designed play areas on all wards, on the Mater campus following the relocation of Temple Street.