€10m Westbury nursing home gets green light

A STATE-OF-THE-ART €10 million two-storey nursing home will be opened on Monday in Westbury with approval from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).
The independent health authority has given Athlunkard Partnership the green light to open the 51-room ground floor as part of the first phase of the development, which is near St Nicholas’ Church.
In an exclusive interview with The Clare Champion, Athlunkard Partnership spokesman Flor McCarthy said the new nursing home would be provided in stages, subject to demand.
Starting with about 14 employees, of which four are full-time, Mr McCarthy explained the number of people employed could eventually increase to 60, most of which would be full-time when the nursing home is fully occupied, depending on the needs of residents.
Believed to be one of the largest nursing homes in the Mid-West, Mr McCarthy said their aim is to be the best in terms of meeting the highest health and quality standards, as laid down by the regulatory authorities.
Once demand increases, he confirmed the partnership, which includes five Limerick businessmen, would look to secure the appropriate registration for the second floor.
In addition to applications under the Government’s new Fair Deal Scheme, the nursing home also has expressions of interest from relatives of patients living in other facilities in the Mid-West.
While the number of applications under the Fair Deal Scheme is high, he acknowledged the number of patients approved over the last 10 months is quite low.
However, he is confident that, regardless of whether the number of approvals under the scheme isn’t meeting demand, the nursing home would be a success considering the wealth of experience different partnerships have built up in this sector, including the operation of an 80-bed nursing home in Waterford.
Considering acute hospitals in the Mid-West are currently at capacity, he claimed it makes sense to increase the number of applications granted under Fair Deal, to free up beds used by elderly people in hospitals.
He noted that the partnership had met all its planning obligations following approval from An Bord Pleanála, including the payment of planning contributions.
In addition to upgrading the public lighting from the main Athlunkard to Broadford regional road, he stated the partnership had also upgraded footpaths to make them wheelchair accessible. A bus service is also available outside the facility.
The appeals’ board upheld Clare County Council’s approval for the provision of 108 single bedrooms and two double en-suite bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms and ancillary rooms.
This was despite a recommendation for refusal by planning inspector Conor McGrath, who deemed the development would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.
Although Mr McGrath considered the proposed use was acceptable in principle at this location, he ruled the “overdevelopment of the site would provide an unsatisfactory standard of residential amenity for future occupants”.
One of the 13 planning conditions attached to the final planning approval included a stipulation that final details of the improvement works to the distributor road linking the site to the Broadford to Corbally regional road and the provision of pedestrian crossings and public lighting have to be agreed in writing with the council.
Another condition stated a conservation method statement has to be prepared in respect of the one-and-a-half storey, 19th century house. This plan, which has to be submitted to and agreed in writing with the council before the start of the development. A conservation expert to manage, monitor and implement works also has to be appointed to protect this historic building.
Martin and Mary Jane Fallon, Willow Grove, Westbury, who submitted a comprehensive objection to the appeals’ board, claimed the private fee-paying nursing home would not be of any benefit to residents. Commenting on statistics produced in the 2006 Census, the couple stated the age distribution scenarios for the Westbury area showed the greatest growth would be in the school-going population and working population and not in the retired peoples’ population.
They described the provision of 110 bedrooms on an approximate three-acre site was “serious overdevelopment” and expressed concerns about the adequacy of staffing, car parking, traffic management, sewage capacity, public transport and noise assessment.
However, the developers argued the re-development of the site was appropriate; there would be increased demand for nursing home facilities; community facilities were accessible within a short distance of Westbury and the properties immediately adjoining the appeal site didn’t object to the development.