Another overrun risk

THE new National Maternity Hospital will face a €150million pricetag for a retrofit, TV architect Duncan Stewart predicted yesterday as a bid was launched to stall the project.

The hospital – already troubled by delays and a governance and ownership row – will cost €350million to co-locate on the St Vincent’s Hospital site in Dublin. But the ‘near complete oversight of energy-efficiency measures’ in its design will leave it in breach of a European Directive.

‘The Government interpretation is that they will not have to comply if they get the building started, but that is not the case,’ Mr Stewart said. ‘It is shameful. All public bodies will have to comply, but this is miles away from where it should be.’

Current designs would mean annual heat and energy running costs of ten times what it would be under best practice, campaigners said, while CO2 emissions would be 20 times more.

Climate activist Donna Cooney said she is contemplating taking legal action to seek an injunction against construction of the building until its design is upgraded.

Social Democrats TD Roisín Shortall called for a halt to the project until matters were clarified.

The Taoiseach said: ‘While this project has got planning permission, it hasn’t gone to tender yet so we don’t have an estimated cost yet.’

Mr Stewart said at this stage, it would just mean ‘simple changes’ to upgrade the building.