Plans for a major new nursing home
A Wexford company has officially confirmed its ambitious plans for a multi-million euro investment in two long-time derelict sites in Rosslare. Sites at the former Great Southern and Tuskar House hotels have long been a blight on the area, falling into a dreadful state of disrepair and attracting all kinds of problems with anti-social behaviour in recent years.
However, under new plans revealed by Wexford company Domal Construction, the sites are to be transformed into a brand new state of the art nursing home with a capacity for over 100 residents.
In a statement from the company, they said that they are ‘looking at various options’ for their Rosslare Harbour sites, the foremost of which is ‘the provision of a 100 bed plus state of the art, fully modern nursing home facility with staff quarters and some element of independent living units’.
Pre-planning discussions on the project have already taken place with Wexford County Council on the project and it’s understood that a legal issue that has delayed matters slightly and held up the demolition of the old Great Southern building is to be resolved in the coming weeks.
While the project is at a relatively early stage, a spokesperson for the company says that a provisional time-frame is in place for construction to get under way.
‘Subject to a satisfactory appraisal of the option for the nursing home we would hope to lodge a planning application in the coming year and with a fair wind and passage through planning work could commence on this element as early as 2021 to be completed by 2022,’ they said.
The company confirmed that a multi-million euro investment would be required and that they would aim that ‘many long-term employment positions’ will be created as a result.
‘We are very much looking forward to developing out the sites to their full potential,’ a company director said. ‘We believe these sites are very strategic in their location adjacent a very progressive Euro port that is Rosslare Harbour.’
Chairman of the Rosslare Municipal District and general election candidate Cllr Ger Carthy has been busy trying to get the project over the line and he believes it has the potential to create a massive boost for the area.
‘Obviously I would welcome any investment in Rosslare Harbour,’ he said. ‘This project has the potential to stimulate the local economy and provide much needed full-time employment in the area. Also it will finally put to bed the long talked about dereliction of the old Great Southern Hotel, which was an iconic site in its day.’
‘We’ve had a problem with dereliction in certain parts of Rosslare Harbour in recent times, but I really feel that we’re now moving in the right direction,’ he concluded. ‘The developers have co-operated fully with the local community down there and have listened to any issues they may have and things are moving along positively.’