Plans have been approved for a major new medical centre to be built within the grounds of Foyleville Home at Academy Road fuelling fears the residential care facility is being gradually wound down.
Damien McShane, whose mother has been resident at the home since 2003, claims that the building project will heavily disrupt the daily routines of the elderly people at Foyleville. Furthermore he maintains that the care facility is being broken down "bit by bit."
The long running battle to keep Foyleville open has attracted heavy media attention in recent times. And, the threatened complete closure of the home was averted earlier this year when a compromise agreement was reached whereby there will be no new admissions and the facility will remain open whilst remaining residents are still alive.
However, the relocation process of Bayview Medical Practice to within the grounds of the care facility is due to begin within a matter of weeks. And, plans for the project seen by the Londonderry Sentinel reveal that a major construction project will be required to complete it.
The Sentinel has also learned that the approved plans to build the medical centre in the grounds of the home were lodged over two years ago. Application A/06/1128 was lodged with Planning Services on March 26, 2007 and approved on August 21, 2008.
The plans include provision for a medical centre, ambulance bays, 36 car parking spaces and will eradicate a great proportion of the gardens of Foyleville Home, regularly used for recreation by its residents. Access to the construction site will be the main Academy Road entrance of the Foyleville Home.
Prior to the proposed final plans plans being submitted the application for permission to develop land was received by the Planning Service on November 15, 2006. Seen by the Sentinel this document shows the size of the new medical centre is over 500 square metres, and will use and estimated 1.8 cubic metres water per day. Also, there is an anticipated increase of 110 persons per day to the relocated medical practice, including staff and patients, as well as an anticipated additional 90 plus vehicles visiting the facilty each day.
In fact the current plans are the second set proposed for Foyleville Residential Care Home. An initial set of plans for the medical facility were submitted to Planning Services in February 2003. Plans A/2003/1011 were in fact rejected in 2004. They had outlined a much more expansive medical centre that ate very heavily into the Foyleville Grounds.
In response to a question from the Sentinel concerning the planned construction project a spokesperson for the WHSCT said: "The planned relocation of Bayview Medical Centre has been in existence for some years and was supported by both the former Foyle Trust and the Western Health and Social Services Board. Foyle Trust undertook detailed discussions with residents, relatives and staff in relation to the proposal and support was secured to allow the development to go ahead."
Yet, Damien McShane says that in his experience no such wide ranging consultation took place.
"My mother has been a resident at Foyleville since April 2003 and I have visited her daily. I have never discussed any of this with the Foyle Trust, the WHSSB or any other trust for that matter," he said.
The remainder of the response from the WHSCT said: "The process for transfer of land from the Trust to Bayview Practice is not expected to be completed for another 3-4 weeks.
"Commencement of work onsite will not take place in advance of land transfer. The proposed commencement of building operations is a matter for Bayview Practice.
"It is anticipated that there will be close co-ordination between Bayview Practice representatives and the Trust to ensure the maintenance of the normal day-to-day running of the Foyleville Residential Home.
"It should be emphasised that this relocation would not affect the residential home in any way. Where building work is taking place close to a Trust facility the situation is monitored to ensure that there is minimal disturbance to residents and staff."
Damien McShane said: "It is ludricrous to suggest that this building project will not disrupt the running of the home. For example we will be left with minimal car parking space. Elderly residents are going to wake up every morning to diggers tearing up land and will witness the removal of land that was part of their home. They are just taking this facility away a piece at a time, bit by bit."