THE DENIS O’BRIEN controlled Beacon Hospital has secured the green light for an €75 million eight storey extension. 

This follows Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council granting planning permission for the 70 care bed extension at the hospital at Sandyford, Dublin. 

The scheme also includes new A&E facilities, cancer care facilities and associated in-patient treatment rooms.

The planning application involves the substantive demolition of the eight storey Beacon Hotel which the Beacon Hospital purchased late in 2020 from US billionaire, John Malone’s MHL Collection luxury hotel group.

The local authority found that the hospital extension does not detract from the amenities of the area and is consistent with the provisions of the current Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Development Plan.

The Council has granted permission despite a comprehensive group objection lodged by the 70 owners and tenants of the Beacon One apartment complex.

Beacon One Management CLG lodged an initial objection last September and followed up with a fresh submission earlier this month in response to further information lodged by the applicants.

In the latest submission, consultants for the apartment owners, BPS Planning Consultants re-iterated the apartment owners’ call to refuse planning permission.

Director at BPS Planning Consultants, Brendan Buck stated that his clients believe the proposed A&E and hospital use is incompatible with the old hotel building.

Buck contends that the scheme is not in accordance with the proper planning and development of the area and the issues raised in the Council’s request for further information have not been addressed.

Home owner at the Beacon Apartment, Jennifer Clarke stated that she purchased her apartment on the basis that it be maintained and would permanently retain the existing access arrangements.

In a submission, Clarke stated that “these are now to be altered in a manner that I did not agree with”.

Clarke stated that she does not wish to live in a building for the duration of the demolition and construction phase.

Outlining the need for the development, planning consultants for the Beacon stated that the hospital has undergone significant exponential growth particularly in the last seven years due to the increase in demand across all specialities.

The report lodged with the planning application states that in 2021, the hospital has conducted over 23,750 surgeries.

The report states that Beacon Hospital had 43,379 inpatient nights in 2016 and they expect to have 56,375 in 2021 – a 30% increase.

The report contended: “In order to provide additional sustainable and adequate clinical care Beacon Hospital needs to provide more patient beds.”

The most recent accounts for the Beacon Hospital show that it recorded revenues of €152 million in 2020 and enjoyed operating profits of €3.7 million.

A spokeswoman for the Beacon Hospital said today: “We welcome the decision by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Country Council to grant permission for the extension of Beacon Hospital.

She said: “This will enable us to expand the delivery of acute services, including our emergency department and cancer services. At Beacon Hospital, we continue to invest in our services, our people, equipment and facilities, delivering exceptional care for our patients.”