Residents' 'serious concerns' to delay planned mental health facility in Cork

One of the issues for Glenwood Residents Association includes the nature of the profile of the proposed residents of Glenwood House in Carrigaline

The HSE bought Glenwood House in Carrigaline for €750,000 in 2021  from the sister and brother-in-law of its head of mental health services for Cork/Kerry, Kevin Morrison. File picture: Larry Cummins

The HSE’s plan to convert a former B&B in Carrigaline into a mental health facility will likely be delayed by at least a further six months after it was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by local residents.

Cork County Council officially approved a retention planning permission application by the HSE for Glenwood House in July of this year, 18 months after the property was first purchased for €750,000.

The planning application to the local authority had been delayed initially by a number of months after locals complained that insufficient information had been submitted regarding the building’s intended purpose at the time of application.

Glenwood was first bought by the HSE in January 2021 from the sister and brother-in-law of its head of mental health services for Cork/Kerry, Kevin Morrison.

Mr Morrison recused himself from the procurement process at the time due to the potential for a conflict of interest on his part in terms of his familial connection to the property.

Despite the HSE discussing internally at that time the need to expedite the purchase in order to ease its rental commitments at Garnish House in Cork city, Glenwood has never been opened.

HSE estates were advised two months prior to Glenwood’s purchase that retention planning permission would be needed to convert it from a B&B to a medical facility.

Despite Cork County Council issuing an enforcement notice to the HSE over €500,000 worth of works being carried out without planning at the property in the interim, no planning application was made until March of this year.

'Serious concerns'

In their appeal of the planning approval to An Bord Pleanala, the Glenwood Residents Association said they have “a number of serious concerns” with the HSE’s application, with aspects of the proposed design, and with the “potential adverse impacts that will arise as a result”.

“Importantly, we do not believe that this was adequately assessed by Cork County Council and that inadequate information was provided by the applicant,” they said, adding that they had noted “significant public interest in the application”.

They summarised their objections to the proposed application as involving the nature of the services to be provided at Glenwood, their impact on local residential amenities, the management of the construction, as well as the fact that “insufficient... and inaccurate information” had been provided in the application.

They added however that they are “not opposed to the planning application per se”, but rather are “anxious that several items in the application... are clarified”.

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Those issues include the nature of the profile of the proposed residents of Glenwood, their care and treatment, and how the facility proposes to engage with the wider community within the adjoining residential area.

One clarification that has been offered by the HSE since its planning application was lodged is that the facility is expected to cater for 10 residents, not the “14 high-support mental health residential care beds” initially envisaged within the HSE’s 2021 capital plan.

Some 44 observations and objections were lodged with the council by local residents regarding the initial planning application, many of which criticised the HSE for its lack of engagement on the matter.

Glenwood House was purchased as a replacement for the Millfield House mental health facility in Blackpool, which had been deemed ‘unfit for purpose’, again per the 2021 capital plan.