Plans submitted for new medical centre in Laois town
A new medical centre is planned for Mountmellick
PLANS have been submitted to demolish an existing retail unit in Mountmellick and replace it with a new medical centre.
In the initial application, Laois Co Council deemed the application invalid due to an issue with the floor plans and requirements relating to an apartment, requiring the plans to be resubmitted, though the overall design is likely to remain unchanged.
Ramy David is seeking to demolish an existing retail unit on Lord Edward Street, Mountmellick and is looking to construct a ground-floor medical centre, a first-floor two-bedroom apartment, alongside various car parking spaces and bin storage situated to the front and to the rear of the site.
In making the case for his application, Mr David highlighted the increased need for such a facility, given the sustained and well-documented rise in pressure on Ireland’s healthcare system; the absence of local GPS, he argued, was having the effect of forcing many people to attend their local hospital instead, thereby putting further strain on an already stretched hospital system.
In a statement, he said: “Ireland has an ageing population, which carries a rising burden of chronic disease requiring consistent, long-term management rather than isolated treatments. It is explicit that the centralised hospital capacity is currently prepared for crisis-point intervention, the worst scenario outcomes of disease. Opportunistic diagnostic and community-based care is the sustainable and realistic route to begin managing this burden at a macro-scale.” The application also highlighted the fact that Mountmellick is among the fastest growing towns in Laois, emphasising the urgency for a new medical facility in the town.
Having been deemed invalid by Laois Co Council over an issue pertaining to flooring plans, the application must be resubmitted by Mr David once he has accordingly amended the plans.
