AFTER a decade of false dawns, Ennis Town Council this Tuesday received a planning application from the Health Service Executive for permission to develop a two-storey state-of-the-art extension to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Ennis.

The application by Coady Partnership Architects, on behalf of the HSE, seeks permission for the development of a two-storey ward building including bedrooms, associated treatment rooms and staff facilities, connecting into the existing two-storey hospital at ground and first-floor level. It also seeks permission for new landscaping, parking and realignment of the internal roadway and paths, alterations to the internal layout of the south-east wings of the existing hospital and temporary egress from the hospital, during construction, to Highfield Park, Ennis. The planning application further states that construction traffic will enter and leave from the Gort Road.
It also notes that the existing hospital is a protected structure. The buildings, which are identified for protection in the Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2008 are each being retained.
A report with the planning application explains that the development will provide two new wards with ensuite rooms, replacing the multi-bed wards in the existing building.
“The extension lies to one side of the protected hospital building and the design of the new building ensures the hospital building and nurses’ house remain dominant in the ensemble. Minor alterations to the layout of the floors adjoining the new wards are proposed to successfully link the two plans,” the report states.
Representatives of Coady Partnership Architects, acting on behalf of the HSE, had seven consultations with the planning authority prior to lodging the application for planning permission, dating from April 8, 2009 to June 6 last.
By means of explaining the context and future need of the hospital extension, the architects explain in a written report that the new building is intended to upgrade the facilities at Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Ennis in line with the current policy for health services on the site.
“A review of acute services in the Mid-West recommended centralising these in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick and that the hospital should become a centre of excellence for primary care, community care and the investigation and management of most routine conditions for County Clare. In line with this review, the HSE are developing Ennis hospital to provide timely and local access to non-acute patients’ care including diagnostics, day surgery, outpatients and rehabilitation, as part of an integrated regional hospital network. The hospital will upgrade its facilities to provide the level and quality of service which will meet the strategic objectives of the National Health Strategy. The current project will provide modern wards and isolation rooms to match this strategy and the vacated space in the existing building will be gradually refurbished to provide the parallel medical services,” the report states.
It further outlines that Ennis hospital will offer general medicine including cardiovascular support, day surgery, plastic surgery, geriatric medicine, acute adult emergency and minor injuries care. Outpatient services will include medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, maxillo-facial, antenatal and gynaecology, ear, nose and throat, urology, paediatric and ophthalmology. The treatment, diagnostic and general support services on the campus will include radiology, laboratory, physiotherapy, pharmacy, administration, education and chaplaincy.
It points out that currently, there are 58 in-patient beds and 10 day beds on site. On completion of the new wards, there will be 50 in-patient beds and 20 day beds.
The report states that the site is zoned for institutional use in the development plan and the proposal is compliant with this zoning.
The architect adds that the main elements of the scheme are that the existing hospital building remains unchanged and that any significant modifications to the building will be the subject of a separate planning application.
He explains that the proposed new building is ‘C’ shaped and wraps around the north-east side of the existing building, forming a new courtyard.
“The building is two-storeyed and has 25 single-bed rooms on each floor. The existing hospital entrance is retained and entrance to the new wards is through the existing building. The new building is connected to the old at two points. The site of the new building is currently occupied by a roadway and car parking. The 38 existing spaces are to be realigned to provide a new access roadway, footpaths and 29 spaces, two of which are suitable for disabled drivers. The building is planned with single-bed rooms around the perimeter, which have glazed doors and windows opening towards the perimeter landscape of shallow courts in front of each suite. The bedrooms on the interior of the scheme face inwards to the enclosed, landscaped courtyard.”
His report further pointed out that vehicular access to the site, currently taken at two points along the Gort Road, one entrance and one exit, would not change due to the development of the hospital extension.