New maternity hospital granted planning permission

An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for the construction of the National Maternity Hospital on a new site on the campus of St Vincent's Hospital.

The 10-year permission was granted unanimously by the board without the imposition of any major planning conditions.

The approval clears the way for the €300 million project to proceed, once agreement is reached between the Department of Health, the NMH and St Vincent's Hospital Group on the ownership of the hospital after it moves from its current location on Holles Street.

This was the focus of huge controversy earlier this year after it emerged that the Sisters of Charity would own the new hospital through their existing ownership of SVHG.

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The order later indicated it was withdrawing from ownership of SVHG and Minister for Health Simon Harris asked for time to resolve the outstanding ownership issues.

Talks between the Department and SVHG are continuing, according to both sides, but are expected to conclude soon.

In granting planning permission in accordance with the recommendations of planning inspector Una Crosse, An Bord Pleanála found the proposed development would support the implementation of the National Maternity Strategy and would significantly improve maternal healthcare.

The development would integrate successfully with the existing hospital campus at St Vincent’s and would not duly impinge on residential amenity of property in the vicinity, the board found.

It would create some additional traffic and parking demand but the development follows an acceptable approach in relation to access and traffic management and would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety, it was also found.