CUH gets permission to expand emergency department

The extension at Cork University Hospital will add 439sqm to the emergency department over two floors, along with a new ambulance entrance, a new CT scanning area, and a new decontamination area. File Picture

Cork University Hospital is now set to have a larger emergency department after An Bord Pleanála green lit plans for an extension despite some local opposition.

An inspector for An Bord Pleanála said it is satisfied that the development will not be “overbearing in nature” and that the limited size of the extension is such that “it would not represent or contribute to overdevelopment” on the site.

The extension will add 439sqm to the emergency department over two floors, along with a new ambulance entrance, a new CT scanning area, and a new decontamination area.

The expansion will not see any increase in staff numbers at the emergency department, planners said.

In its statement setting out the need for the development, planners on behalf of the HSE said CUH was designated as a major trauma centre in 2018 but that work was needed to ensure it retained this designation.

“These upgrades are critical pieces of infrastructure which are required by the HSE in order for CUH to retain its trauma centre designation, and it is fundamental that they are implemented on campus as soon as possible,” planners said.

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“The additional CT scanner, as proposed, will improve patient waiting times for those seeking emergency treatment at the Accident and Emergency Department and will improve the overall patient experience at CUH.” 

Having originally lodged an observation with Cork City Council expressing concerns over the development, an appeal was then submitted against the permission granted to An Bord Pleanála.

Appeal

The couple who lodged the appeal said the new development would have an “unnecessary and overbearing impact” and that car parking at CUH has already reached “saturation point” with the site “now overloaded" and at "full capacity”.

“It is unbelievable that a new CT scanner and decontamination area will not require additional staff,” they said. “We ask therefore that this application would be referred back for a radical overhaul of the proposal resulting in a review of the size and spread and location of the scheme."

A claim was made of “piecemeal development”. The HSE said it upgrades and develops its facilities as funding becomes available, so “in many cases” such works require planning permission.

It also said the close proximity of a CT scanner to the resuscitation beds of the emergency department is “well reported in terms of patient survival”. Waste from the holding tank would be tested prior to release and be removed by a certified hazardous waste removal company, the HSE added.

In its planning report, the An Bord Pleanála inspector found that the site would not constitute overdevelopment, wouldn’t be overbearing and that acceptable access for ambulances would be maintained for both the A&E and the nearby Glandore Centre. Planning permission was then granted earlier this month.