New acute hospital given planning go-ahead

Plans for a new 312 bed acute hospital serving the south west of the Province were today given the go-ahead by Environment Minister Sammy Wilson.

The Minister approved planning permission for the hospital which will be situated on the Irvinestown Road, north of Enniskillen town.

The major application consisted of plans for an acute hospital on a 16 hectare site which will be three to four storeys in height and will have a basement level with outpatients, accident and emergency wards, operating theatres and laboratories.

It also sought permission for 788 car parking spaces, workers' accommodation including a crèche, an energy centre, a new roundabout on the A32 Irvinestown Road and a bridge.

Mr Wilson said: "There has been a lot of debate and discussion over the years about an acute hospital for the south west. This decision means the project has now moved significantly forward.

"From a planning perspective, clearly applications such as this which are of such huge regional importance, should be processed as quickly as possible.

"In this case, the application was processed in just under seven months despite additional information being submitted late in the process. Tribute should be paid to the Strategic Projects Division of the Planning Service, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Roads Service and other public bodies for achieving this turnaround on such a major public project.

"The granting of this application should also provide a welcome boost for the construction industry at a time of economic downturn."

Notes to Editors:

1. The application for the acute hospital one kilometre north of Enniskillen town centre was submitted by the Northern Ireland Health Group on 28 April 2008 and made valid on 20 May 2008.
2. It was designated as a major application under Article 31 procedures on 23 June 2008, requiring the Environment Minister Sammy Wilson to take the final decision based on all evidence submitted during the planning process.
3. An original outline application was processed under Article 31 procedures and given approval on 13 September 2006.
4. For media enquiries contact DOE Press Office tel. 028 9054 0003 or out-of-hours call the EIS Duty Press Officer on 07699 715 440.