Children’s hospital: The options
* Noel Smyth’s greenfield site:
The property developer and suicide prevention campaigner has offered to build a greenfield site facility near the M50 on a non-profit basis.
Mr Smyth first made the offer at Newlands Cross in Dublin as part of a consortium in 2006. He said it would have 585 paediatric beds and cost €150m less than the Mater site.
* Tallaght Hospital site:
While it was initially ruled out in favour of the Mater, Tallaght Hospital is still considered by some to be the most sensible location for the new building.
A former vice-chairman of the hospital’s board, Professor Ian Graham, said a number of improvements had been made since the initial location decision.
* James Sheehan’s greenfield site:
Last Friday, the developer of the private Blackrock Clinic, Galway Clinic, and Hermitage Clinic facilities, offered his services to help move the debate on from the “disastrous Mater plan”.
He said his three existing facilities were built “within 18 months and within budget” and that the children’s hospital should be on a greenfield site as co-location would result in compromise.
Mr Sheehan made a similar proposal in Mar 2005 for an M50 adjacent greenfield site, but claimed his plan — which said the hospital would be built by Apr 1, 2008 — was “never seriously considered”.
* The Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital/ St James’s site:
After An Bord Pleanála’s ruling against the Mater site, the Coombe officials wrote to Mr Reilly last week offering a 20-acre location near the facility and St James’s.
The letter said the location offers more space than the Mater, is still within a safe distance to an adult facility and has access to both teaching and research units — all of which are considered key to any future children’s hospital.
* Farm site:
The Coombe location was not the only written offer Dr Reilly received in recent days.
Over the weekend, farmer Fergus Cannon offered a 200-acre site between Dublin Airport and Ballymun, claiming the facility could be built on his land “within 36 months”.
He said the space would allow the building involved to be “highly competitive” financially, and allow room for a 25,000sq m national maternity hospital as well as full on-site research and education facilities.
* The Mater site:
As with any children’s hospital debate to date, all roads still lead back to the €650m Mater complex, which has been at the heart of the controversy for almost seven years.
An Bord Pleanála rejected plans for the building on structural grounds last month, resulting in Mr Reilly suggesting a smaller version for the Mater could lead to success.
However, he was specifically told in his briefing notes on becoming health minister last year that such a move could risk patient safety.
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