Drogheda hospital gets go ahead for expansion

Louth County Council has granted planning permission for expansion at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital (OLOL) in Drogheda.

HSE Dublin North East applied to the local authority for planning permission in January of this year, for the construction of a new four-storey medical building at the existing greenfield area bounded by the existing Department of Psychiatry to the west, Mayfield Housing Estate to the south, Twenties Lane to the east, and Drogheda Institute of Further Education to the north.

The new medical building is to accommodate at ground floor level, eight outpatients consulting rooms and associated ancillary accommodation, and at first floor level six outpatients consulting rooms and associated ancillary accommodation.

On the second floor level there are plans for another six outpatients consulting rooms and associated ancillary accommodation, and at third floor level, an internal plant room and external plant enclosure and PV array.

Externally the works comprise a new vehicular and pedestrian entrance along Twenties Lane, connecting to the existing internal roads and footpaths at OLOL Cross Lanes carpark, with 19 new car parking spaces and six new bicycle parking spaces.

They also comprise an ancillary single-storey external store building, together with associated landscaping, site works and site services for all of the above.

Louth County Council granted planning permission for the development to go ahead on 15 March, subject to 13 planning conditions.