Senator Gareth Scahill says purchase of site for long-awaited Ballaghaderreen Primary Care Centre still not finalised
Suggestions that a site for the long-awaited Ballaghaderreen Primary Care Centre will shortly be announced have been described as “premature” by Castlerea-based senator Gareth Scahill.
The HSE has identified a preferred location after evaluating a number of sites in the town, but has not yet agreed to purchase it.
In a statement, Senator Scahill said that there are “still important steps that have to be completed before the HSE is in a position to make a final public announcement” regarding the facility.
The development of a new primary care centre in Ballaghaderreen was first announced in 2012. It was later proposed to replace the existing medical centre on Convent Road with a purpose-built primary care facility.
In January 2021, Roscommon County Council granted planning permission for the demolition of the existing medical centre and the construction of a 1,236-square-metre, two-storey primary care centre incorporating a full GP suite, dispensing pharmacy, upgraded vehicular access and a new car park.
The project suffered a major setback when the HSE terminated its agreement with Galway developer, Sharpdale Ltd.
In December 2025, the HSE sought expressions of interest for suitable sites of approximately 1.5 to 3.5 acres in or close to Ballaghaderreen.
A number of sites were subsequently submitted and assessed by the HSE.
Senator Scahill said that alternative options had been identified, in addition to the preferred site.
As part of the process, all landowners who responded to the expression of interest must be informed of the outcome and given appropriate feedback, followed by further steps before acquisition and final approval.
Senator Scahill said reports of an imminent announcement, before applicants had received feedback, “risked causing unnecessary concern and creating unrealistic expectations in the community.”
“I would love to be able to say that an announcement is only days or weeks away, but after the history of this project I think the people of Ballaghaderreen deserve accuracy rather than another timeline that may not be met,” said the Fine Gael Senator.
“Ballaghaderreen has waited far too long for this Primary Care Centre. The town and the wider community need it, and nobody wants to see further unnecessary delays.”
Cllr Seán Moylan, a member of the Regional Health Forum West, told the Irish Independent he would seek a timeline for the project from the HSE at the forum’s next meeting.
In September 2023, the HSE reportedly hoped that construction on the Ballaghaderreen Primary Care Centre would begin in early 2024, with an estimated 18-month building programme.
However, by April 2024, lease agreements and associated legal documents were still being settled with the developer, meaning the HSE could not confirm a delivery date.
The HSE said in November of that year that a lease agreement had been finalised and was in the process of being executed.
The developer was required to begin construction by mid-January 2025 with the facility scheduled to open in 2027 – 15 years after it was first announced.
The Convent Road proposal ultimately collapsed.
Between the 2016 and 2022 censuses, the town’s population rose by 32pc from 1,808 to 2,387.