Proposal to place children's hospital in Blanchardstown

A PROPOSAL to situate the national children’s hospital on the site of Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown is to be put to Fingal County Council.

Fianna Fáil councillor David McGuinness is seeking cross-party support to locate the new hospital in Blanchardstown in the event that a new configuration of the Mater hospital site does not get approval from An Bord Pleanála.

Mr McGuinness appears to already have the support of the Minister for Sport and local TD Leo Varadkar, who has informed his cabinet colleague, Dr James Reilly, that 20 acres of the Abbotstown site could be made available for a children’s hospital.

Mr McGuinness said Connolly was a better option than a possible alternative at Tallaght and should be considered by the review body, headed by Frank Dolphin. The review group was set up after the Mater site was refused planning permission.

Fianna Fáil party policy remains to support the Mater site which it championed while in government and which still retains the support of outside experts.

Mr McGuinness said the access issues which saw the Connolly site being ruled out at the original planning stage had been largely resolved. The site was now directly accessible from the M3 while the M3/M50 junction had resolved a lot of congestion issues in the area. It was also better served by intercity and commuter train services and could provide a spur to ensure the completion of the Metro West, he said.

The next meeting of Fingal County Council is scheduled for April 9th.