Parking space sparks delay of Limerick hospital expansion

A DISPUTE over the ownership of a parking space has delayed plans by bosses of a private hospital to expand its Limerick premises.

Having opened its new centre in September last year, management at the Beacon Hospital unveiled plans to double the size of the facility at Barrington Street in the city centre.

Beacon Limerick began by offering ultrasound, X-rays, and other scans, and has since added treatments to aid people suffering from diseases affecting blood circulation, as well as helping with conditions related to hormonal issues.

It was granted conditional permission to expand by Limerick City and County Council last month, with the move set to pave the way for a new MRI machine.

This can produce three-dimensional images of one’s body.

However, the council’s decision to grant has now been appealed to An Bord Pleanala by management of a property company who own an apartment, land and - they claim - a car parking space to the rear of the hospital.

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“The proposed development is seeking permission for various buildings and structures on lands it neither owns or has a lease on,” the company claimed in an initial objection to local planners.

The objection was in the name of the property company, but no individual party is named.

A number of individuals who share the same surname made separate objections to council.

But the only appeal against council's granting of permission, to An Bord Pleanala, has come from the firm itself.

When Beacon Hospital bosses initially sought permission from council to expand, they included a letter from the director of a company named Semja, which states it owns the building where the Beacon operates from.

“We wish to confirm consent for the inclusion of this property within the application for the proposed development,” they stated.

After the objection on the basis of land ownership was raised, a solicitor representing Semja wrote: “I can state categorically on behalf of my client (...) there are no registered rights for any other party in respect of car spaces. My firm instructions are that all spaces belong to Semja and no other party.”

“The owners (of the nearby apartment) have asserted they have the right to a car space, but have yet to provide any evidence of or title for that right, and as stated, nothing is registered on Semja's folio in that regard,” the solicitor’s letter concludes.

An Bord Pleanala is expected to make a decision on the case by December 4 next.