An Bord Pleanala has approved planning permission for the new 50-bed Community Nursing Unit for Tuam.
This is excellent news.The new Community Nursing home will also include a high-dependency unit.
Planning was granted last year but there was an appeal to An Bord Pleanala, which has now been rejected.
I was pleased that the Health Service Executive continued to prepare the site and invited building contractors to pre-qualify to tender for the project pending the outcome of the appeal.
With the tender process under way, there will be no unnecessary delay and I expect construction to begin on site in July.
The Community Nursing Unit is another major element of the overall strategy for health provision in Tuam.
The new unit will replace the Aras Mhuire building, which is no longer fit for purpose.
I want to acknowledge the generosity of the late Joe O’Toole, who donated €7 million towards the project.