An anti-dereliction campaigner says the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage should intervene and ensure work starts on building homes at the site of St Finan’s in Killarney.
The HSE-owned, former mental health hospital closed in 2012 and has lain idle since, despite engagement with potential transfers to other state bodies in the time since.
The Land Development Agency has formally expressed an interest in acquiring half of the 13.2-hectare site to build up to 460 homes.
However, the LDA does not want to acquire the old hospital building itself, as it says the protected structure is not suitable for conversion to residential use.
Radio Kerry has revealed the HSE has spent over €900,000 on the upkeep of the St Finan's hospital building and grounds since it closed.
The LDA is reviewing the buildings and landbank with Kerry County Council, with the aim of potentially finding other uses for the hospital building, such as community use.
Activist Dr Frank O’Connor, who co-founded Derelict Ireland, says protected structures have been converted to housing before, such as the former St Kevin’s Hospital in Cork.
