A ROW involving the Fr Harry Bohan-led board of an Ennis hospital is threatening to derail €3.5 million plans for a daycare centre and sheltered housing for the elderly in Ennis.
Already the row over access to the proposed development has resulted in the voluntary group driving the project, Cuan an Chláir, missing out on an approved €2.1m grant from the Department of the Environment to construct the 12 sheltered homes.
Since 2008, Cuan an Chláir has raised almost €400,000 in local fundraising for the daycare centre, with the group spending €240,000 on professional and planning fees to date.
The project was made possible after the former Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, donated a site at Cahercalla, Ennis, for free — then valued at €10m — in October 2007 to Cuan an Chláir.
However, Cuan an Chláir missed out on the approved €2.1m after the board of Cahercalla Hospital and Hospice stated that it could not use the existing access to the hospital for the development, which has already secured planning permission.
Yesterday, Cuan an Chláir chairwoman Pauline McNamara said that alternative access would cost between €700,000 and €1.5m.
Fr Bohan, a well-known social campaigner, has been chairman of the Cahercalla board since it was establish-ed as a 116-bed community hospital in the late 1980s.
The board issued a strongly worded statement yesterday, which stated: "From the very beginning the Cuan project was initiated without consultation with Cahercalla Hospital despite its very execution being dependent on our support.
"At no point during the many discussions were any of the concerns we raised about the management of the project, including links with Cahercalla, addressed.
"Having explored every possible option and following discussions which have been ongoing for over three years, the Board of Cahercalla Community Hospital & Hospice regret that they have, to date, been unable to reach an agreement with Cuan an Chláir with regard to granting permanent access to the site adjacent to the hospital and hospice."
The board continues: "The project we tried to facilitate was presented to us as a development of housing for active retired elderly. However, as soon as detailed discussions began we dis-covered that the project was significantly different from what was originally outlined to us. In particular the development now included a daycare centre and permanent access was being sought, both of which would significantly increase the amount of traffic on our driveway impacting on the safety of our residents.
"Despite making every effort through our discussions and allocating a large amount of executive time to considering the proposal we have, to date, been unable to gain sufficient assurances that the project would not negatively impact on Cahercalla’s residents and staff."
Ms McNamara said: "Discussions are ongoing with Cahercalla. A tremendous asset for Ennis will be lost if we haven’t access. There is no way that we can afford an alternative access."
Documents Cuan lodged with Clare County Council state there were 35 applicants seeking accommodation for the elderly "and that there are no facilities in the town of Ennis similar to those proposed in the project. There are already bus loads of senior citizens travelling to daycare centres in outlying parishes every week."
The mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind), offered to mediate in the dispute: "I wasn’t aware that there was a problem, but I would urge both sides to sit down and reach a resolution."
Since 2008, Cuan an Chláir has raised almost €400,000 in local fundraising for the daycare centre, with the group spending €240,000 on professional and planning fees to date.
The project was made possible after the former Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, donated a site at Cahercalla, Ennis, for free — then valued at €10m — in October 2007 to Cuan an Chláir.
However, Cuan an Chláir missed out on the approved €2.1m after the board of Cahercalla Hospital and Hospice stated that it could not use the existing access to the hospital for the development, which has already secured planning permission.
Yesterday, Cuan an Chláir chairwoman Pauline McNamara said that alternative access would cost between €700,000 and €1.5m.
Fr Bohan, a well-known social campaigner, has been chairman of the Cahercalla board since it was establish-ed as a 116-bed community hospital in the late 1980s.
The board issued a strongly worded statement yesterday, which stated: "From the very beginning the Cuan project was initiated without consultation with Cahercalla Hospital despite its very execution being dependent on our support.
"At no point during the many discussions were any of the concerns we raised about the management of the project, including links with Cahercalla, addressed.
"Having explored every possible option and following discussions which have been ongoing for over three years, the Board of Cahercalla Community Hospital & Hospice regret that they have, to date, been unable to reach an agreement with Cuan an Chláir with regard to granting permanent access to the site adjacent to the hospital and hospice."
The board continues: "The project we tried to facilitate was presented to us as a development of housing for active retired elderly. However, as soon as detailed discussions began we dis-covered that the project was significantly different from what was originally outlined to us. In particular the development now included a daycare centre and permanent access was being sought, both of which would significantly increase the amount of traffic on our driveway impacting on the safety of our residents.
"Despite making every effort through our discussions and allocating a large amount of executive time to considering the proposal we have, to date, been unable to gain sufficient assurances that the project would not negatively impact on Cahercalla’s residents and staff."
Ms McNamara said: "Discussions are ongoing with Cahercalla. A tremendous asset for Ennis will be lost if we haven’t access. There is no way that we can afford an alternative access."
Documents Cuan lodged with Clare County Council state there were 35 applicants seeking accommodation for the elderly "and that there are no facilities in the town of Ennis similar to those proposed in the project. There are already bus loads of senior citizens travelling to daycare centres in outlying parishes every week."
The mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind), offered to mediate in the dispute: "I wasn’t aware that there was a problem, but I would urge both sides to sit down and reach a resolution."