The Land Development Agency has requested further information from the HSE on the St Finan’s site in Killarney as it reviews the site for potential development.
The former hospital, owned by the HSE, closed in 2012 and has fallen into ruin internally.
There have long been calls by councillors in the Killarney area for the site to be developed into forms of housing.
The derelict former hospital has lain idle since it closed in 2012, but condition reports previously obtained by Radio Kerry show the building is almost entirely intact, and its structure appears to be in reasonable condition for its age.
The interior has deteriorated significantly as a result of lying idle, and previous estimates by Kerry County Council predicted the cost of refurbishment would be around €100 million, which is beyond its scope.
Under current statutory requirements, public bodies are required to notify or offer first refusal to the LDA before they dispose of any public lands.
The HSE has contacted the LDA regarding St Finan’s, and this site is currently being assessed by the LDA to see whether it will be included in the LDA’s next tranche of developable public lands.
According to correspondence released to Radio Kerry under FOI, the LDA confirmed to Kerry County Council that it has requested further information from the HSE about the St Finan’s site as part of its due diligence process.
This followed an online meeting between the LDA and council officials in May, which went over the next phase of the LDA’s work and potential sites in Kerry.
A meeting also took place in May 2023 between LDA and Kerry County Council, after which the agency prepared a high-level cost estimate that confirmed previous refurbishment estimates of around €100 million.
