HSE spending €2.5m leasing properties in Kerry despite maintaining 14 vacant facilities

St Finan's Hospital in Killarney is one of the 21 idle properties being maintained by the HSE in Kerry. File picture: Eamonn Keogh

The HSE is spending close to €2.5m a year leasing more than 20 properties in Kerry, despite owning 14 vacant properties in the county, which it has to spend money on maintaining. 

The information was given to a meeting of the Regional Health Forum South West in response to a motion by councillor Deirdre Ferris. In June, Ms Ferris had been told there were 14 HSE-owned properties vacant in Kerry — the majority of which it has no use for. 

The idle properties include town centre buildings in Tralee, at Pembroke Street and Denny Street; the old Dingle Hospital and Workhouse; The St Finan’s Hospital, land and Gate House in Killarney; along with health centres in Dingle, Kenmare, Ballinskelligs, Waterville and Rathmore, and radio stations in Knocknagoshel in the north of the county and Clahane in the west.

Ms Ferris said €2.5m was “a huge amount” of money being spent by the HSE on leasing property, while at the same time it had to maintain idle buildings.

She asked if HSE buildings could be “repurposed” and if HSE services could be “decentralised” into the large and historic Dingle Hospital.

Tralee town centre buildings in Pembroke Street and Denny Street should also be “repurposed” and used to retain footfall in the town, she said.

Twenty-one properties are currently under lease in Kerry at a cost of €2.417m a year, according to the written reply by estates director, Daniel Clifford.

The overall cost of maintenance and minor works to the vacant buildings owned by HSE in Kerry amounted to over €186,423 in the past 12 months.

HSE efforts

Of the 14 vacant buildings and sites the HSE owned, it had tried but failed to dispose of a number including 22 Pembroke Street in Tralee, the Kenmare Health Centre, and the former Listowel health centre at Charles St to other State bodies. These would now be sold on the open market.

Kerry County Council were interested in Number 19 Denny Street in Tralee as well as the Rathmore Health Centre, and if the interest by the council fell through they too would be sold on the open market. A HSE-owned site at Gneeveguilla was to be transferred to the council.

One of the largest properties owned by the HSE in Kerry, St Finan’s former psychiatric hospital and lands in Killarney, is still being assessed by the Land Development Agency and Kerry County Council, Mr Clifford said.

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The Ballinskeligs Health Centre in Dún Geagan was also under review by the HSE as was the Lantern Lodge property in New Road, Killarney.

“Every effort” was being made to dispose of the Dingle Hospital and lands to a State body, given the historic significance and local importance of the former old hospital and workhouse, the reply from Mr Clifford said.

The health centre in Waterville had been sold by public auction last month.

The Caherciveen Community Hospital, the Kenmare Community Hospital and lands at UHK Tralee were being reserved for future development by the health authority.

This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme