New Clondalkin primary health centre one step closer to reality

Minister for Education Norma Foley has confirmed that the disposal of a site in Clondalkin to the HSE for the development of a primary health care centre will go ahead.

Minister Foley announced the decision in the Dáil last week when questioned by a group of cross-party TDs.

An agreement to transfer the site, which is located at Collinstown Community College, was reached in 2015 – with planning permission being granted in 2018 – but delays over recent years have since mired the project.

Sinn Fein TD for Dublin Mid-West Mark Ward says that “the provision of a state-of-the art primary health care centre is badly needed in north Clondalkin.

“An agreement was reached in 2015 between The Department of Education and The Department of Health on a transfer of lands at Collinstown Community College.

“Planning permission was granted in 2018 for the construction of a two-storey primary healthcare centre and a single-storey multi-functional space.

“It is now 2022 and not a sod of earth has been turned on the site, despite, planning permission, the fire safety cert and the disability access certificate all being granted,” he said.

Minister Foley said that negotiations between the HSE, the Department of Education, Collinstown Community College and the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education Training Board (DDLETB) had been ongoing regarding the transfer of the site which delayed proceedings.

As part of the move, it was agreed that the HSE would construct additional facilities for Collinstown Community College on the land in question.

However, Minister Foley says that plans have since changed and that “additional facilities for the school that adjoined the main school building would be more effective and provide a value-for-money solution.”

“Following further engagement with the HSE and ETB, I am pleased that it has now been decided that the disposal of the site for the primary care centre will proceed separate from delivery of the facilities to the school,” she said.

“This is a significant positive.

“My department will proceed to progress the disposal of the site to the HSE,” she said.

Sinn Fein TD Eoin Ó Broin said that the delay in delivering the care centre “has all sorts of additional consequences.

“North Clondalkin is a strong and vibrant community, but also one that experiences significant socioeconomic disadvantage,” he said.

“I urged the Minister to work with the cross-party delegation of deputies to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible and allow the HSE to proceed with the primary care centre that the local community so desperately needs.”

Fine Gael TD for the area Emer Higgins said: “The centre will offer speech and language therapy, occupational and physical therapy, a dental suite, a paediatric suite, GP suites and a mental health suite.

“These are much-needed services in the local community.

“Having no location for them is becoming an obstacle because it is a barrier to hiring and assigning healthcare professionals to the area.

“The sooner the transfer of land can happen, the sooner we can get the ball rolling on delivering this much-needed facility, which will have a major impact on the ground in north Clondalkin.”