Talks with DCU on new regional hospital medical campus in Navan

Negotiations have been taking place with Dublin City University (DCU) regarding a joint initiative for the development of the new regional hospital in Navan, Cllr Tommy Reilly told a meeting of Meath County Council on Monday. He said he hoped to see an entire medical campus and training hospital on the proposed site at Nevinstown, Navan. Councillors were told that consultants had identified a preferred site for the new hospital at Nevinstown, in north-west Navan. Meath County manager Tom Dowling said he was delighted that a site had been identified. He said the council shouldn"t underestimate the importance of the development of the hospital as a catalyst for the future development of the county town. 'Meath County Council has long recognised that Navan is the prime location in the north-east region for major investment projects. The acceptance of the council"s case that the hospital should be located here and the further work done by the council in identifying suitable sites are important steps in securing this major project for the town,' he said. Mr Dowling said he had no doubt the valuable report which identified the site at Nevinstown would be studied carefully by the HSE as it moved forward with this vital development for the region. 'I also assure them of our continued support in advancing the project,' he said. Cllr Tommy Reilly said the identification of the site was good news for Navan and the north-east. 'A few years ago, we lost our chance to have an institute of technology here and this will be a chance to make up for it. It is important to get it up and running and I hope it can be fast-tracked,' he said, Cllr Joe Reilly said the real work would now have to begin. 'Our responsibility now is to ensure that there are no obstacles in the way when it comes to developing this project,' he said. Cllr James Mangan said the project would not just be a major boost to the town, but also to the county, and he noted that both Beaumont and Tallaght Hospitals were built during the last recession. Cllr Jenny Darcy said the news gave great hope for the town and county to see something so positive. 'It is important that the HSE and ourselves put our weight behind it because we have no services for children and no maternity services in Meath,' she said. Cllr Jim Holloway said he didn"t like the idea of a public private partnership developing the hospital. 'It will bring in venture capitalists and we will end up with a health industry, rather than a health service,' he predicted. Cllr Brian Fitzgerald said they had to ensure that no stone was left unturned to ensure the HSE would not have an excuse to drag its heels. 'We have to try and get a timescale from the HSE. What we don"t want to see is the HSE running down every service in the region in the meantime,' he said. Cllr John Farrelly said he feared that with services being concentrated in two hospitals at the moment, the danger was that the HSE would come under increasing pressure to spend monies on existing sites. The new hospital would be a very important aspect in development in the town and would bring hope to the people of Navan, predicted Cllr Shane Cassells.