Planning approval sought for new Primary Care Centre in Edenderry

Planning permission is being sought for the construction of a purpose-built Primary Care Centre in Edenderry which will provide a suite of medical services to the rapidly-growing north Offaly town and surrounding area.

According to a planning notice posted this week, the proposed new facility will be constructed on a site bounded by Blundell Avenue and Fairgreen Road in the centre of the town.

The site is located behind the new Edenderry Library just off Main Street in an area which housed the old Williams Waller Grain Store. It is proposed to demolish a number of existing structures, including warehouses, silos and sheds to make way for the new medical centre.

The proposed development will contain a Primary Care Centre, including social care services; a GP Clinic; retail unit and ancillary offices across two separate buildings. The General Practice surgery will cover a total gross floor area of 4,226.1 sqm and will have 29 consulting rooms, while the Primary Care Centre will have community nursing facilities including three treatment rooms and wound clinic; a diagnostics area with X-Ray room, ultrasound and CT scan; facilities for speech therapy, occupational and physiotherapy and dental facilities.

The GP surgery and the Primary Care Centre will be connected in one building, while the second building on the site will comprise a retail unit, cafe and first-floor office space.

It is proposed to have 144 car parking spaces on the site, including 15 spaces for EV vehicles and 11 accessible parking spaces. There will also be provision for 100 bicycle parking stands.

Access to the site is to be provided by way of two new vehicular access points, one off Blundell Avenue and second off Fairgreen Road. A central walkway, as per the Blundell Masterplan, off Blundell Avenue, and the provision of footpaths, internal access roads, signage and all associated site works also form part of the plans for the key town centre site.

The news that planning is being sought for the long-awaited Edenderry Primary Care Centre has been warmly welcomed by local Fine Gael councillor, Noel Cribbin, who said this week that the new facility will bring “many new permanent jobs and spend” to the north Offaly town and will make it “a more attractive town” for people to relocate.

“We now await our new Oaklands Collage to go out to tender to build and plans for the new swimming pool in the town are making steady progress,” said Cllr Cribbin, who added that he now looks forward to 2026 when the building of these projects begins, making Edenderry “a much improved town for all both young and old."