Development of nursing unit at former Cork golf resort welcomed

A Cork TD has welcomed the renovation of the former Blarney Hotel and Golf Resort into a community nursing unit but said the HSE risked tens of millions of euro in public money to do so.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould requested under Parliamentary Question (PQ) the details of the cost of the redevelopment of the facility in Cloghroe, Blarney.

Responding, the HSE provided a cost breakdown of the redevelopment of the former Blarney Hotel and Golf Resort; €23,781,421.59 was spent on the redevelopment, including labour costs, construction costs, and equipment costs.

Scandal

Speaking to The Echo, Mr Gould said: “That the HSE spent millions of euro on developing a facility with no planning permission is nothing short of a scandal.

“It points directly to the huge issues within the organisation and to the problems with our health service. If they hadn’t been granted retention, we would have seen over €20m wasted.

“As it stands, our understanding is that work was completed on this site months ago. This equipment has been left gathering dust while they applied for retention permission. Is it any wonder our health service is on its knees when we have the HSE acting in this way?”

Mr Gould said that planning permission should have been sought prior to the start of the works.

“This didn’t speed up the process — the HSE still had to spend months in the planning system. All it did was risk tens of millions of euro in public money,” he said.

A spokesperson for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare confirmed to The Echo that retention of planning permission was sought following redevelopment works.

“This building was purchased during the emergency phase of the covid-19 pandemic. One of the advantages of purchasing a building with so many single rooms was that it gave us the option of creating additional isolation space for vulnerable groups.

“At that time, a planning exemption was in place for covid-19 emergency works. The initial work at the building began when that exemption was in place.

“Some of the work was completed after the exemption ceased, so the HSE applied for the retention of planning permission. This allowed for certainty that all elements of the works were regularised,” the spokesperson said.

Options

The spokesperson also said that several options are currently being explored for the building’s use and that a decision will be due shortly, despite earlier indications that the unit would be in operation in the final quarter of 2023.

Speaking at a meeting of the regional health forum attended by The Echo in March 2023, former chief officer of Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH) Michael Fitzgerald said workforce planning for the unit was “well under way” and that pending registration, formal commissioning, and final contract handover, it was envisaged that the facility would become operational and staffed in the fourth quarter of 2023.

“This building will be a valuable addition to healthcare in the Cork region,” the spokesperson said. “We are now exploring several options for its use so that we deliver the best possible service and value for money. A decision on this is due shortly.”

Mr Gould said the newly renovated unit is “a really welcome addition for Blarney”, but said it now needs to be opened without delay.