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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.”
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The government have said they could do it for 4 billion
Attempt to do it*
@John ward: That would become 8 million in 6 months
Billion even. Tut.
Shouldn’t we be phasing out private hospitals and phasing in Sláintecare? Private investors make millions while public patients die on waiting lists. This is obscene.
@Nóra Nic Oireachtaigh: Absolutely Nóra. However, there would be no money in it for the cronies of those in power.
@Nóra Nic Oireachtaigh: why ? Can we not have a private and a public system together so people can choose if they would like to spend more on health then a prsi contribution?
@Nóra Nic Oireachtaigh: @Nóra Nic Oireachtaigh: 46% of us pay for private healthcare so don’t take up public hospital beds. VHI is the largest private health care insurance company and is owned by the state. Myself and husband pay €3500 yearly for private healthcare insurance and also pay PAYE. Without private health care the waiting lists for public beds would be greater.
@JJ: Well if you’re brought into hospital with a heart attack you go straight into a public ward
@JJ: if they were made public you’d have the same amount of beds. Just you couldn’t skip the queue because you have more money.
Not judging if I could afford it I’d do the same.
But that’s why the system is broken and getting worse.
@Nóra Nic Oireachtaigh: Unfortunately Slaintecare is a con too. It’s already being prepared to be a gravy train for the laziest, most overambitious HSE pencil pushers. It’ll be used as a big cushy thank you job for life source for anyone who did a pandemic related management role, regardless of basic competence.
Ah yeah, he who must not be mentioned negatively anywhere has no problem getting the old planning for anything
@Declan Moran: Got a great boost to his finances during Covid!
Courtesy of the taxpayer. No green jersey worn at the Beacon during the pandemic. Remind me again how much the taxpayer was charged, €48 million was it?
@Jack Cass: Nothing to do with the tax payer.
@Jack Cass: Local business embroiled in “conducting business” scandal
Good news. There’ll be more room for alumni of Gerard’s in Bray
That’s quiet the booster for them. Fair play .
I guess once people think they are going to be at top of the queue for anything they’ll pay the extra few quid. Lots of brown envelopes going around these days. Or is membership the new brown envelope ?
@Ronan C Gantly: you sound very bitter.
Maybe the Beacon should consider buying out the apartment owners who are now more and more isolated in what is a hospital complex.
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