HSE has bypassed 'last obstacle' to planning for long-delayed elective hospital in Cork, TD says

The “last obstacle” to the submission of a planning application for Cork’s long delayed elective hospital has been cleared, a Government TD has said.

With that hospital planned for the old St Stephen’s hospital site at Sarsfield’s Court in Glanmire, a major stumbling block has been the concern that local road infrastructure would not be sufficient for either the construction phase or the completed hospital.

Last November, the HSE told the Oireachtas health committee that it was considering the introduction of a new slip road to service the hospital, and that it was in discussions with several landowners.

Now, Colm Burke, Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, has said he understands those talks have successfully concluded, and is confident a planning application can now go ahead “by the end of the year”.

In June, HSE South-West regional executive officer Dr Andy Philips said the aim was “to submit a planning application in the second half of 2026”.

Speaking to The Echo on Thursday, Mr Burke said final agreement has now been reached by the HSE with all landowners, allowing a new access road to be built and a planning application to proceed.

“This agreement will allow a new road to be built off of the Cork-Dublin road north of the St Stephen’s site in Sarsfield’s Court,” Mr Burke said.

“With advanced design plans already in place, this will now allow the HSE to immediately go and apply for planning for Cork’s new elective hospital.

“This is very welcome. It has to go through the planning process both in respect of the new road and the hospital itself, but as I understand it, the last obstacle to a planning application has been cleared and the application is now ready to go to Cork City Council.” Cork City Council has said in the past that it was “fully supportive” of the plans for an elective hospital, and in June it reiterated that support.

Substantial progress made

“The city council has engaged in extensive pre-planning discussions with the HSE on this proposal and substantial progress has been made on key planning issues identified,” the local authority said earlier this year.

Proposals for an elective hospital for the State’s second city were announced as part of the 2018 National Development Plan.

Intended as part of measures to reduce overcrowding, it would see non-emergency surgeries removed from the acute hospitals in Cork and Tralee.

Plans set out by the Department of Health in 2023 to have construction start on the St Stephen’s Hospital site in 2026 and finish by 2027 did not come to fruition.

There were 43 people were on trolleys in Cork University Hospital, 21 in Mercy University Hospital, and four in Kerry University Hospital on Wednesday, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s daily trolley count.

The HSE was asked for a comment.