40 bed reduction in proposed hospital

UP to 40 beds have now been omitted from plans for a new private hospital on the outskirts of Ennis, following a number of planning concerns raised by Clare County Council.

The original planning application by John Stack, Lisdoonvarna and Pat Bonner, Donegal sought planning approval for 120 in-patient beds and an additional 20 out-patient and daycare beds at Shanaway Road, Ennis. They originally estimated it could cost up to €60 million to construct and fully equip the new private hospital.
However, the overall proposal for the building has now been reduced significantly, with an overall reduction in its footprint, floor area, height and massing.
This has resulted in the submission of revised plans to Clare County Council for 73 in-patient beds, seven gynae/cardiology beds and 20 day surgery beds.
The developers lodged a planning application with Clare County Council before Christmas seeking permission for the complex on land at Shanaway Road which is zoned for residential use.
If planning permission is granted, the applicants predict that over 100 construction jobs will be created and between 400 and 500 full-time jobs will be directly generated, once it is due to become fully operational in 2012.
In a recent request for further information, the planning authority expressed serious concerns about aspects of the proposed development concerning the scale of the building relative to the site area; the loading of the foul effluent to the public sewer; traffic and congestion issues on the Shanaway Road and impact to residential amenity by way of noise, overbearing issues and increase in traffic volumes.
The department made 23 individual requests for further information including the submission of a flood impact assessment, a revised road safety audit and proposals to upgrade the N85 Shanaway Road junction.
According to planning documents submitted by Galway-based planning consultants, McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan, the overall floor area has been reduced by 26%, one of the proposed five storeys has been removed and the site area has gone up by 6%.
The consultants stated the closest neighbours of the development confirmed in writing their support of the hospital, as originally proposed in a letter dated December 18, 2009 and argued the revised proposals would further minimise any potential impact on local residential amenity and character.
A number of photomontages have been sent to the council taken from viewpoints at the Lahinch Road, N85 Western Relief Road and Busypark Road, which the consultants claimed showed the proposed development would not be unduly visually intrusive or dominant.
Responding to issues of concern raised in a request for further information on February 24 last, the consultants stated the development site was at an elevated location and was not subject to any flood risk.
A report submitted by Alan Lipscombe Traffic and Transport Consultants stated the proposed hospital is not dependent on the provision of a new roundabout. However, following extensive consultation with the council, a design for the roundabout has been prepared in accordance with the further information request.
The report by Alan Lipscombe also addressed issues such as basement access and parking, cycle parking, set-down areas, public lighting, ramp gradients and lighting.
A Traffic and Transport Assessment submitted to the council on behalf of the developers concluded the proposed development would be adequately accommodated by a single priority type junction on the Shanaway Road and that a roundabout type junction would accommodate all traffic up to the year 2026 at the intersection of the Shanoway Road and the N85 Lahinch Road.
It was also concluded from this study and the associated independent Stage One Road Safety Audit that the proposed development might be accommodated safely on the surrounding network.