There have been deliberate attempts in recent days to distort and discredit a positive proposal to bring 40 public elderly care nursing beds to Roscrea to avert the crisis facing the town with the ongoing threat to close the Dean Maxwell Home.
It was never suggested at any point that a formal proposal was submitted to the Community Care Section of the HSE.
I can confirm that the Developer of this project, Mr. Mike Darcy of MORE Healthcare, has previously advised the Estate Management Unit at the HSE of their intentions. The Company had informed the HSE that they are developing a plan to add a 40 bed Nursing Home Unit to the Malt House site, together with the Primary Care Centre is already sanctioned for this site by the HSE.
This proposal has been the subject of pre-planning meetings with Tipperary County Council. It will be put before the people of Roscrea at a Public Viewing at Racket Hall Hotel on February 12th. Following this consultation with the public, the plan will be finalised and formally presented to the HSE subject to planning.
The Developer remains fully committed to this project. Pre-planning consultations for the project are positive. An Taisce has commended the development in a letter from Mr. Ian Lumley, Planning and Environmental Policy Officer, particularly with regard to the sensitive use of the existing structure at The Malt House. Local groups have acknowledged that this proposal is the only concrete one on the table at present.
When all procedures are complete a formal proposal will be presented to the HSE. The HSE will then have the option to enter into a long-term lease to manage and run the facility as a Public Nursing Home.
This is the only realistic option to secure the future of the Dean Maxwell Home. The alternative suggestion of a new build on a green field site will take years to process with no guarantee of Capital Funding.
I will support and progress this solution to save the Dean Maxwell for the people of Roscrea.
