HSE to locate community health services at proposed Cahir Primary Care Centre

The HSE plans to base a range of community health services in the new privately developed Primary Care Centre for Cahir that secured conditional planning permission last week. 

It has signed a letter of intent with the multi-million euro project's developers Nivon Healthcare, trading as Zest Healthcare, to long term lease a purpose built part of the Centre to accommodate these services once the project is built.

A HSE statement said this would be contingent on the developers facilitating a number of General Practitioners to locate their surgeries at the new Primary Care Centre at Rosemount Close, Barnora, Cashel Road, Cahir. 

"It is envisaged, upon completion of the facility in Cahir, that a full range of primary care services will be provided including GP services and the HSE’s Public Health Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Dental, Podiatry, Speech and Language Therapy and Psychology services in addition to provision for Community Mental Health services," said the statement. 

Tipperary Co. Council granted conditional planning permission for the Primary Care Centre  with 18 conditions attached last Thursday, August 30. 

Co. Limerick based Zest Healthcare, however, will have to wait a month from the date of planning permission to see if the Council's decision is appealed to An Bord Pleanala. 

If it's not appealed, the Council will grant full permission for the project at the end of September and the company will be free to press ahead with constructing the Primary Care Centre.   The lodging of an appeal, however, will set back the project months 

The proposed Primary Care Centre will be a two-storey building boasting a gross floor area of  1,885 m2.  It will be built on a 1.2 acres site owned by M&E Real Estates Ltd. 

It's proposed that the Centre will be divided into a general medical practice clinic with consultation rooms, offices and treatment areas and a public healthcare facility with procedure rooms, treatment rooms, offices and administration suites. 

Conditional planning approval has also been given for a single storey pharmacy annexe and 72 surface car parking spaces at grade. 

Zest Healthcare has also obtained  permission for a new entrance to the site from the existing public roadway on Rosemount Close, an outlying electrical supply substation and waste disposal storage compound single storey building. 

Independent TD Mattie McGrath has welcomed the planning approval for the Primary Care Centre finally been granted for the long proposed Primary Care Centre in