Lord Mayor calls for 'alternative solutions' after overturned Rotunda extension
The Lord Mayor has called for “alternative solutions” to be found following the decision to overturn planning for the expansion of the Rotunda Hospital.
The cancelled plans for an extension to the hospital was described as “deeply disappointing" by Lord Mayor Cllr Ray McAdam who highlight the negative effects for the community, patients, and hospital staff. The proposed €100 million four-storey critical care wing was overturned by An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The new wing would have provided 80 hospital beds as well as a new theatre with connections to the exciting entrance. The plans also included the demolition of the existing Outpatients Department on the Rotunda's campus.
Lord Mayor McAdam said the extension was “essential to provide vital care for critically ill patients” and stressed an alternative must be found.
“It is hugely disappointing to see today’s decision on the extension of the Rotunda Hospital. Planning permission for this essential upgrade was originally granted by Dublin City Council in July for a facility that would benefit critically ill women and children across Dublin,” he said.
“Projects like the Rotunda critical care extension are not optional developments. They are essential national health infrastructure that will save lives.
“What this case shows is that Ireland needs a faster, more streamlined planning pathway for critical healthcare projects. We cannot have maternity, emergency or intensive care facilities delayed for years in a system that was never designed for urgent national healthcare priorities.
“Planning and community engagement must remain vital parts of the process, but for projects of critical public importance, decisions must be made quickly, clearly and within defined timelines.
“Patient care has to come first, and our planning system needs to reflect that reality. This news is hugely disappointing for the people across our community who would have benefitted from the new facilities.
“We must look at alternative solutions as to how we can ensure these vital services and facilities can still be provided.”
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