St James’s location disrespects children

Sean Fleming, Fianna Fáil public expenditure spokesperson, was right to use the word ‘reckless’ at the Dáil Public Accounts Committee when discussing the National Children’s Hospital project (Irish Examiner, October 24).

The failure to produce a master-plan for the St. James’s Hospital campus should have raised a red flag. The planning report of October, 2012, commissioned by then Health Minister James Reilly, said “one of the first planning actions should be … an up-to-date masterplan ...of the hospitals [adult, maternity, children’s] research and hostel facilities … and parking layout ...This should be produced prior to the design of the new development and agreed with Dublin City Council”. Despite this warning, the Government approved the project brief, allocation of capital, and appointment of a design team, on July 1.

The Dolphin Report, in June, 2012, listed the risk of rejection of planning permission at St. James’s as ‘significant’, but that it could be reduced to ‘moderate’ by increasing the footprint into the area reserved for future expansion, thereby lowering the height of the building. Paediatricians worry about the small site and the absence of a maternity hospital, and parents worry about a claustrophobic inner-city location, access and inadequate parking.