MINISTER JAMES REILLY announced today that engineer John Pollock, the former CEO of Punch Consulting Engineers and a member of Engineers Ireland, has been appointed as Programme Director of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board.
He is to head up the “build board”, which has the responsibility for ensuring the building of the National Children’s Hospital. Separately the Children’s Hospital Group, with its chief executive Eilísh Hardiman, are responsible for bringing the current children’s hospitals together to work as one.
Change of approach
Under the new development board that was appointed in August 2013, a “change of approach” was taken towards the development.
The Department of Health states:
This change means that the design team will be selected in Spring 2014, rather than by the end of this year as originally planned.While this is expected to affect the timing of the planning submission and consequent planning decision which had previously been expected in December 2014, there will be no delay to commencement of construction in Spring 2015 or to the project overall, as time can now be recovered at contractor tender stage.
The pre-application planning discussions have already commenced and the aim is to secure planning permission for the new hospital by Spring 2015.
2018
The aim is to have the the hospital begin providing services in 2018.
In a statement released by the Department of Health today, it stated that “Mr Pollock will work closely with Ms Hardiman, with the HSE and with other stakeholders to deliver this priority project”.
Mr Pollock has more than 30 years experience in the is the Irish and international building industry and is the former CEO of Punch Consulting Engineers and previous Managing Director of TPE Consulting Engineers.
The development board is the body responsible for planning, designing, building and equipping and has twelve board members – which the Department of Health states have “the necessary architecture, planning, engineering and procurement experience and expertise to guide this very large-scale and complex project to completion”.
Minister James Reilly said that the “building of the new Children’s Hospital is a number one priority for me, for this Government and for the children of Ireland. John Pollock will play a pivotal role, with a highly committed team already assembled, to deliver a world class building”.
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