RESIDENTS at a Dublin 4 estate are attempting to block a top Dublin hospital from using a house in their estate as a post-cancer counselling and therapy facility .

Since early July, residents from Donnybrook's Nutley Lane estate have lodged a series of legal objections over the use of the house to provide services to up to 50 post-cancer patients a week.

After being told of the initial complaints, St Vincent's Hospital lodged a formal planning "retention permission" application to Dublin City Council to allow the medical facility to continue to provide post-cancer counselling and therapy to patients recovering from the deadly condition.

Incompatible

Over a dozen residents in the area claimed that the facility was "wholly inappropriate" and "incompatible" with the tone of the estate.

But council officials agreed with the hospital and granted planning permission -- leading to residents appealing this decision to An Bord Pleanala.

St Vincent's Hospital moved its post-cancer therapy support unit to the hospital-owned building at 85 Nutley Lane at the start of the year due to planning changes to its new private hospital plans.

The Nutley Lane facility had previously been used to house medical staff recently employed by the hospital and who were looking for accommodation in Dublin.

The Nutley Residents Association and other locals in the expensive area had no problem with this arrangement.

But when they were told of the facility's new use they immediately lodged a series of complaints -- which have now been sent on to An Bord Pleanala, who have until December to make a final judgement on the case.

"Nutley Lane is part of a strictly residential area. There is a cohesive residential community in this area with a very community-orientated Residents Association.

"The proposed development is therefore incompatible and runs counter to the residential function of the area as a whole," wrote Hilary and Rosemary Hough, two of over a dozen Nutley Lane residents who complained about the cancer service.

"It is wholly inappropriate to introduce a commercial development which is unacceptable to residents and will begin a process of disintegration of the residential fabric of the Nutley area," they continued.

The Nutley Residents Association added: "This association considers such use (of the building) as being completely inappropriate for a residential area and is totally opposed to the granting of permission."

As previously reported by medical newspaper Irish Medical Times, St Vincent's Hospital and local residents have previously come to blows over services in the expensive area.

Last year saw clashes over the Elm Park Golf and Sports Club, which told the council of its concerns that a new eight-storey inpatient ward could overshadow the golf course and lead to problems for golfers.

The site of the golf course which residents said would be affected by the planned inpatient ward is owned by St Vincent's, but was previously leased out by St Vincent's to the golf and sports club.

Permission

"In November 2007 we received planning permission to proceed with the development of the new St Vincent's Private Hospital on a site (St Anthony's) off Herbert Road," said a spokesperson for St Vincent's Healthcare Group.

"In January 2008 we commenced a programme of decanting these services to the main hospital campus. It was always going to be a challenge given our limited space on campus.

"Due to the importance of the service to patients and their families, we did not want to suspend the service and placed a scaled-down service into 85 Nutley Lane in February 2008," he added.

A final decision on the issue will not be made by An Bord Pleanala until December 8.

- Fiachra O'Cionnaith