A major expansion of Dublin's 'vital' Hermitage clinic has been blocked
A two-storey extension has been proposed to cater for increased demand.
A PLAN TO expand the Hermitage Medical Clinic has been knocked back by south Dublin council.
The 112-bed Palmerstown private hospital was first opened in 2006 and last year, the clinic made an application to expand its premises. The plans included a two-storey extension to its existing three-storey accommodation block.
The expansion of the clinic would add another 2,700 sq m of space to the current development, with room for 62 more beds and additional hospital facilities such as nurses’ stations and storage areas.
It was proposed the new beds would be equally spread across the two new floors and divided into one-, two- and four-person wards.
In its submission to the council, the Hermitage Medical Clinic said it is an “important medical facility” to the local area and greater Dublin.
It added that the clinic has been strained for resources in recent years and needs to expand to cater for demand.
“The recent opening of a second operating theatre has increased the through put of in-patients and further increased the demand for additional bedspaces,” the application said.
“The purpose of the proposed development is to meet increased demand for in-patient facilities, meeting the ever-increasing demand for bed spaces.”
The clinic was previously granted permission to develop an additional storey onto its current development in 2007 by the council, but the building project never took place.
A sister planning application was also submitted to the council to expand car parking facilities at the clinic through the construction of a four-storey car park with space for 487 vehicles.
The Hermitage Medical Clinic
In its decision, the local council refused permission to expand the clinic, citing numerous reasons for its decision.
The local authority said the hospital development did not abide by zoning plans for the south Dublin area, and therefore the proposed expansion would result in “significant intensification” of a non-conforming use.
It added that the new five-storey building would be “visually intrusive” and “overbearing” and the light pollution from the development would have a detrimental impact on a protected species of bats living in a nearby wooded area.
The sister application for a multi-storey car park was given the all-clear by the local council.
Since the decisions were published by the council, the Hermitage Medical Clinic has appealed both rulings to the national planning authority.
The clinic has requested an oral hearing with An Bord Pleanála in a bid to overturn the local authority’s decisions about the proposed extension and two development conditions attached by the council to its car park project.
“We believe South Dublin County Council failed to consider adequately in its assessment of the application the fact that the Hermitage Medical Clinic is a vital medical and community facility. It needs to evolve and grow in response to these pressures,” the clinic stated.
Its appeal also contained a letter from HSE national director Liam Woods who said his organisation would welcome the creation of new beds in the clinic.
History
The Hermitage Medical Clinic has 39 consultant suites and provides medical services such as surgery, endocscopy and oncology.
Two of the main investors who have bankrolled the medical facility are beef baron Larry Goodman and property developer Seán Mulryan.
The most recent accounts for Torcross Limited, which operates the medical facility, showed it made a profit of €3.7 million during 2016 on turnover of €69.8 million.
However the documents also noted it and other group companies were saddled with “significant outstanding debts” of around €80 million.
Last year, the clinic treated over 8,200 inpatients and more than 41,000 outpatients. The number of inpatients treated at the facility has doubled since 2008 while the number of outpatients has increased by nearly 25,000 over 10 years.
The group employs roughly 870 people in total, which includes 256 consultants and clinical specialists.
