BREAKING! New site secured for €50m Dean Maxwell nursing unit in Roscrea
.jpeg?trim=0,0,0,0&crop=&width=640&quality=70&enable=upscale)
Contracts exchanged on site as HSE prepares to advance design and planning for 52-bed facility
A site has been secured for the development of a new 52-bed Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit in Roscrea, with contracts exchanged and the project set to move to the next stage of planning.
The proposed facility will be built on a town centre site adjacent to the existing Dean Maxwell unit. Terms have been agreed for the purchase of the site and contracts have been exchanged between the vendor and the HSE's legal team. Once the legal process is complete, the HSE is expected to appoint a design team to progress the detailed design, planning and delivery of the project.
The new nursing unit will provide 52 beds, including 40 long- and short-stay beds, a 10-bed dementia unit and a two-bed palliative care unit. The project is expected to cost approximately €50 million.
The existing Dean Maxwell facility will continue to operate at full capacity until the new unit is completed.
Welcoming the development, Independent TD Michael Lowry said the project represented "brilliant news for Roscrea and its people" and said it would reverse what he described as the "injustice" of previous decisions affecting the future of Dean Maxwell.
Lowry said he had secured the project's inclusion in the Government's capital development plan and paid tribute to the local campaign to retain and redevelop the facility.
"I am particularly pleased for Councillor Shane Lee and all those who over many years campaigned for Dean Maxwell," he said. "The community of Roscrea were united, strong and resilient."
The project marks a significant milestone in the long-running campaign for a new nursing home in Roscrea, although planning, design and construction work must still be completed before the facility becomes operational.