New Edenderry ambulance base set to be built by end of 2018

The Edenderry ambulance service will have a new station in the town by the end of 2018, the HSE has said.

Responding to a parliamentary question from Deputy Carol Nolan, the HSE revealed that the the new station will cost €1.7m and is due to be completed by the end of 2018.

The service was forced to relocate to Tullamore hospital earlier this year while construction work took place at its previous base at Ofalia House. While planning permission has been granted for a new facility and the HSE says that it looking for a temporary base in the town, local politicians have voiced their fears over its future.

Speaking this week, the Sinn Fein TD said that the news 'represents significant progress' as before this the HSE hadn't provided a timeframe for the project.

“I have sought further clarification from the Minister in relation to the amount of money that has been allocated to the project under Budget 2017 and how much has been ring-fenced by the Department of Health to complete this project.


“In the meantime, I am calling on the HSE and National Ambulance Service to intensify their ongoing discussions and prioritise the identification of a suitable temporary accommodation, pending completion of the project.
“The people of Edenderry and North Offaly cannot be left for two years without an ambulance service so it is critical that suitable temporary accommodation is identified and secured as soon as possible.'

Speaking in the Dail last week, Deputy Barry Cowen called on the HSE to make a commitment that the construction phase of the new ambulance facility will start in the 'very near future'.

'If a date was forthcoming, it would allay everybody's fears and allow people to get on with their work. In respect of the locality and community of north Offaly, west Kildare, south-east Westmeath and part of Meath and its close proximity to the N4, it is of pivotal importance in respect of responses to emergencies as they arise.'

The Minister for Health Promotion Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, who with other local politicians will meet the Minister for Health on December 7 to discuss the abulance station, has also said that it until the new facility is built it is 'hugely important the temporary accommodation is secured for the Edenderry ambulance service'.