Martin defends hospital plan stance

THE Enterprise Minister has defended his stance against plans for a €250 million private co-location hospital on the grounds of Cork University Hospital.

Micheál Martin said he fully supports the Government’s policy of building private hospitals on the grounds of public hospitals.

But speaking in Cork, the former Health Minister repeated his position that the Beacon Medical Group’s plans for a 185-bed co-location hospital in a corner of the crowded CUH campus is “not sustainable”.

He said he sees “no conflict” in that position.

“The Cabinet decides policy,” Mr Martin said.

“The policy is do you build private hospitals on public hospital sites in order to take private patients out of the existing public hospital to free public beds in the public hospital.

“That’s the policy, and I have no problem with the policy.

“But obviously, no matter where it manifests itself across the country, it has to fit in with the planning framework of a particular location.

“That’s the issue, so there’s no conflict in that sense. But you can’t just say you can’t go ahead with a national policy because of a particular planning issue on a particular location.

“I’m very clear, this is a specific issue on a specific site here in Cork, the CUH,” said Mr Martin.

He restated his opinion that the Beacon facility is not sustainable on the CUH site.

“The size of that project, in my view, in the absence of a masterplan for the hospital which is provided for in the Bishopstown and Wilton Area Action Plan, and the absence of a mobility plan, is not sustainable on that site,” he said.

He said the CUH campus has seen enormous development in a very short space of time and issues around traffic and parking have not been dealt with.

Tackling those issues cannot be postponed any longer, he said.

“I mean, take the experience of people going in and out of the hospital. It’s choc-a-bloc,” he said.

Other issues around the density of the project and the degree to which it overlooks neighbouring houses also need to be addressed, he added.

The CUH project is one of the first co-location projects in the State. A planning decision is expected in early March.

Mr Martin said he plans to submit a detailed document to city planners setting out his observations in relation to the project. But he declined to state whether he would lodge a planning objection or not.

His comments came as representatives of the Beacon Group held meetings yesterday with politicians based close to CUH to outline their proposal, which has sparked a furious local reaction. Residents later met with senior city planners for explanatory talks.