Dublin

Former Baggot Street Hospital is surplus to requirements and on register for disposal, says HSE

Building is not considered suitable for delivery of public healthcare services in future, HSE tells Department of Health

Baggot Street Hospital was built in 1832 and closed in 1987. Picture Nick Bradshaw

Martin Wall
Thu Apr 4 2024 - 06:15

The former Baggot Street Hospital in Dublin has been placed on the State’s register for disposal, the Health Service Executive has said.

The HSE has told the Department of Health the former hospital was now surplus to its needs and “it is not in the main, considered suitable for the delivery of public healthcare services into the future”.

HSE chief Bernard Gloster told the department in a letter in January that services had ceased at the hospital some years ago and it had been vacant ever since.

Some campaigners have urged that the premises be used to accommodate asylum seekers or people arriving from Ukraine, or even as a Viking museum.

READ MORE

Mr Gloster said while the HSE was looking at using the Haddington Road side of the hospital site as the location for a new primary care centre, “the remainder of the site properties are in poor condition, as identified through condition surveys”.

“Refurbishment for possible future healthcare use, if such use was identified, would not be straightforward, especially in terms of compliance with general building regulations and healthcare-specific technical requirements.”

[ How a site in a sought-after area of Dublin remains derelict after 20 years of inactivity  ]

The “protected structure” status of the building led to the HSE redirecting its focus to the Haddington Road portion of the site “which, as it currently stands is considered more capable of delivering a primary care solution aligned to service requirements”, Mr Gloster wrote.

“This hospital site and buildings comprise a valuable asset with significant commercial value. It is surplus to the needs of the HSE and is noted as such on our schedule of vacant properties. The property has been registered on the State register for disposal, and this information has been shared with other state agencies. Should any third party express an interest in the property this can be progressed in line with normal property transaction and disposal protocols. Should options for future use of the property by HSE be identified prior to disposal these will be considered in the context of our ongoing review of infrastructure needs,” he added.

The Baggot Street facility, which was known officially as the Royal City of Dublin Hospital, was built in 1832, but closed in 1987. Parts of the premises, on the Haddington Road side were used as a drug treatment and community facility until 2019.

Last summer a local organisation, the Pembroke Road Association, wrote to the department and argued that “the current dilapidation of the iconic building is having a detrimental effect on the community. The chimneys appear to be in danger of falling down and there is particular and extreme concern from both the Pembroke Road Association and the Upper Baggot Street traders.”

The association suggested repurposing the main hospital facing on to Upper Baggot Street as a museum of Viking Dublin.

“The repurposing of the building would complement and assist the preservation of the internal structure. The large ward spaces are suitable for exhibition galleries thereby preserving the nature of the building.”

The HSE said on Wednesday a planning application for the future development of a primary care centre for the South Dublin inner city at a portion of the former hospital site was being prepared and would be lodged in the coming weeks.

“A timeframe for disposal of the remaining hospital site and buildings which are not required for healthcare needs has not yet been agreed.”

Martin Wall

Martin Wall

Martin Wall is the former Washington Correspondent of The Irish Times. He was previously industry correspondent

LATEST STORIES