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MORE DETAILS HAVE emerged on the proposal to locate the National Children’s Hospital at the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital.
Dr Chris Fitzpatrick, Master of the Coombe, made the details public today online.
According to the team behind the proposal, which is called Putting Children First, locating the hospital at the Coombe would be the “most cost effective option” as it would cost €358 million (excluding the fit-out).
The Mater proposal is €650m, the St James’ proposal is €510m and the Phoenix Park Racecourse is €440m, said the document. The provision of multi-storey instead of underground car parking would save an additional €20m.
The Coombe proposal doesn’t require a maternity hospital to be built, which would save around €100m, it said, while it would be the only tri-located proposal which includes a maternity co-location for transfer of sick newborn babies.
Dr Fitzpatrick commented:
This current Coombe proposal was not possible in 2006; it has taken a recession to make this enormous tri-located and essentially greenfield site readily available for the development of the National Paediatric Hospital; ironically, this highly valuable asset would have been unaffordable 6 years ago during the boom-time.
The proposal also said that it is the “biggest and most flexible city site” at 20.5 acres, while even after the hospital is built 60 per cent of the site would be left free for future campus development.
The land is immediately available and zoned for a hospital, and building can be completed without interruption to the existing Coombe and St James’ hospitals, according to the proposal.
Around 9,000 mothers deliver in the Coombe every year, while 1,000 infants are admitted to its neonatal special care unit.
The full details of the proposal can be viewed here.
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As far as transportation links go, this is a sensible suggestion. I used to live in the area and it’s easy accessible from town and the m50. (especially compared to the mess that is the Mater site)
the best site was on the Naas road which was near luas , bus and major motorway networks. children shouldn’t have to travel in to the city centre
The Nass road site was still a 30 minute walk to the Luas and the traffic on that road in the mornings and evenings is insane as it is without a hospital going in there. Plus its one way traffic with a barrier in the middle of the road so cars would have to go up to the Red Cow roundabout just to turn back to get into the hospital if they were coming from Kildare for example.
This is a great site. Near James, beside Maternity and near Luas.
Why not James’ itself then, ticks all the boxes!
Joan, St james’s has no room to build out only up. The Coombe has plenty of space.
The coombe is a good location, high rise buildings can be built in this area say An bord pleanala
For me the best proposed site is the Phoenix park.
The Coombe site has room to build out and up, St James’s only has room to build up and there would be many objections from those living in the vicinity of it. The Coombe has a massive field at the back that has nothing going on it in for the past few years and would be the perfect location. Plenty of parking and public transport. There’d be an entrance on Cork St and SCR. its ideal!
The coombe also has the land around players and wills site. Alot of space to build the childrens hospital.
Also the land around St Teresas Gardens flat complex at the back of the Coombe, 12 large blocks of flats are planned for demolition. Alot of the flats are boarded up. this location is a very good one for the hospital.
have your say