Two new nursing homes for Waterford and Tramore are set to provide 180 jobs and an investment of around 30 million euro.
Whitebox Property Group is to deliver the nursing care homes in Waterford along with a third site in Kilkenny over the next two years.
All three developments are to be built by local contractors David Flynn Ltd, with designs by Fewer Harrington & Partners architects.
The developers say each care home will create approximately 90 jobs, and in total will provide 273 ensuite bedrooms for elderly people requiring continuous care, and are set to be delivered between Q3 of 2022 and Q1 of 2023.
Niall Harrington is Creative Director with Whitebox, he told WLR News their intention is to deliver community-based accommodation for elderly:
"We've been keeping an eye on Tramore and we've obviously been developing the 100 acres in Kilbarry. And part of that scheme in Kilbarry we were putting in a retirement village, which included the nursing home so the natural fit was to bring Tramore with it as well and link with a development that we just completed with some housing in Kilkenny."
Tramore Nursing Care Home
This 92-bed nursing home, located on the old golf club grounds, will be built over the course of the next twelve months (Q3 2022). Future plans include 20 independent, 1- and 2-bed bungalows, adjacent to the care home, to provide an inclusive elderly offering.
The development will no doubt be welcomed. The seaside town now has a population of around 11,000 and no nursing home. Permission for a 70-bed nursing home was initially granted over seven years ago, but the partially constructed development has been at a standstill since 2016.
Niall Harrington says it is great to get it moving again. And it will be designed with Alzheimers care and dementia care specifically included in the nursing home design.
"So it's 87 a single ensuite bedrooms and just a couple of shared bedrooms in there as well. And also we're proposing to build, we don't have planning for (it yet) we're going to go for planning for it shortly, is 20 independent living bungalows".
Niall says the intention is to create a retirement village and a sense of independence for people, so they can benefit from the shared services of the nursing home, your doctor, or nurse care, meals, laundry, but also still have their independence and a sense of independence in the homes themselves."
'Very welcome news'
Independent Cllr for Tramore Joe Conway said the development news was "very welcome news for the people of Tramore".
"The foundations and the nascent building shell have been lying in dereliction for years now, much to the concerns of the town. It has been a one-step forward, two steps back process for the last fifteen years. Its completion will add greatly to the town’s social infrastructure, and is one of the most frequent concerns mentioned to me.
"The nursing home is in a very suitable location and will be greatly welcomed here where we have a significant older cohort of population.
"It also represents a second major success in the fight against dereliction, after the rehabilitation earlier in the year of the unfinished Monvoy Valley building shells. It is rewarding to see these results after a decade and a half of agitation on the issue."
Waterford Nursing Home
This Kilbarry-based care home is to be located at Carrigea Crescent as part of Waterford’s new inclusive, community-focused urban village. This home will comprise of 90 ensuite
bedrooms and is expected to be completed by Q1 2023.
Niall says it too will have a specific Alzheimer's and dementia care wing:
"It's over 55,000 square feet, and as part of that complex, we have planning as well for a coffee shop, medical center and a creche. So the intent is to create a little community hub in there."
The development is also in the order of 14.5 million euro and will generate 90 local jobs.
Martin White, Managing Director of Whitebox Property Group said:
“Whitebox is delighted to be progressing with these modern, state-of-the-art nursing complexes in the South East, carefully designed with the needs of its future residents in mind. Ireland’s population is ageing increasingly, and a sharp rise in the Over 65 age range will see the nation’s shortage of nursing homes become more acute. Our aim is to ensure that the South East’s, and indeed Ireland’s, future living and care needs are met for all.”
All three nursing homes will be nearly zero-energy buildings (or NZEBs) and will include sustainable energy-efficient systems including heat pumps and high-efficiency LED lighting.
The Kilkenny Nursing Home is also set for completion in Q1 2023, this care home will be located on the Golf Links Road and will include a total of 90 ensuite bedrooms for its elderly residents.
Construction works are now underway for the Tramore and Kilkenny care homes, with the construction of the Waterford City-based home to commence in October 2021.
The eventual care homes will be operated by Mowlam Healthcare, a private healthcare company with 20 years of experience and 27 care homes in the Irish elderly care sector.
