THE BLACKROCK CLINIC has secured the planning green light for a new cardiology department, an eye centre and additional in-patient bedrooms at its south Dublin site.

The planned new facilities are the first phase of a 16-year masterplan for the hospital which will also include the construction of a second hospital building on site.

Dún-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has given planning permission after concluding that the two-storey extension to the side of the main hospital is acceptable. 

Planning documents lodged with the application show that the private hospital is proceeding with the masterplan for the overall site following the acquisition of several neighbour sites adjoining the campus.

Documents also state that the main elements of the extension will include a new, dedicated cancer centre, a specialised women’s health centre, an additional therapy centre and a high-tech interventional cardiology labs.

McGill Planning say that Blackrock Clinic admitted 52,185 inpatient and daycare patients in 2023 and this figure is expected to grow to 78,000 by 2033, which is around 50% increase over the next decade.

It adds that the private clinic is currently operating at full capacity and the clinic will need to expand its capacity, significantly, in order to meet future growth. The application states that the hospital’s capacity has doubled since 2008.

An existing site will host a second building, and deliver additional theatres and lab capacity  to meet demand in its existing services.

Henry J. Lyons Architects and Urban Designers were appointed in September 2023 to develop the plan, following competitive tender. The two-storey extension application is the first of several applications that will be submitted to the local authority.