HSE Owenacurra Centre redevelopment ‘frustratingly slow’ says local TD

Work is expected to begin a year after the original projected completion date after 'sustained pressure on the HSE'

Enabling works on the centre in Midleton, Co Cork, began in August but the main building work will not start until next year. File picture: Howard Crowdy

Construction of a new residential mental health facility at the Owenacurra site in Midleton, Co Cork, has been branded “frustratingly slow” after the HSE confirmed that the main building work is unlikely to begin before 2026.

The HSE said that while “enabling works” have been underway at the site since August 6, the main works portion of the project will not commence before the first quarter of next year at the earliest.

This is a year after the entire build was supposed to have been completed.

In response to a parliamentary question from Social Democrats Cork East TD Liam Quaide, the HSE’s interim national director for capital and estates, Peter Smyth, said that as part of those enabling works a “considerable amount” of asbestos had been removed from the site.

He said other work completed to date includes “the erection of site fencing”, the setup of the “construction compound”, and the carrying out of additional “ground investigations” at the site. More recent work on site has led to the demolition of a considerable portion of what was formerly the centre’s main building.

East Cork Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide: 'We are now looking at a commencement date that is one year after the original completion date projection.' File picture

“The design of the new facility is complete, planning permission has been granted, and it is currently anticipated that the main works could commence in Q1 2026,” Mr Smyth said, adding that a “more definitive timeframe” for completion will only be available when construction officially begins.

However, Mr Quaide said the lengthy nature of the works had left users of the service “being transferred to residential facilities outside east Cork”.

“The pace of works on the Owenacurra centre rebuild has been frustratingly slow,” Mr Quaide said. “We are now looking at a commencement date that is one year after the original completion date projection. He added: “It has taken sustained pressure on the HSE to get any movement on this project.”

The HSE first said in 2021 that Owenacurra needed to close as shortfalls in terms of it meeting building standards would cost too much to rectify. At the time, the centre accommodated 20 long-term residents — all but six of whom have since left the locality.

Following a lengthy campaign, a commitment was finally given by the HSE to replace the centre in November 2023. The Owenacurra centre itself has been permanently closed since October 2023, when it was flooded during Storm Babet.

Last March, the HSE projected that the new facility will cost €15.9m including Vat, an increase of €3.2m on the €12.7m figure given in early 2024.

However, the total cost will come to €17.8m when the budget for refurbishing two additional residential facilities in the Midleton area are included.

In March 2022, the HSE had told the Oireachtas that a refurbishment of Owenacurra to provide a 21-bed facility would cost €8m — a figure the HSE said at the time was “not viable”.