Plans for a new ambulance station at Merlin Park Hospital are progressing as tenders have been issued for the construction contract.
Planning permission was granted for the HSE to build the new ambulance base valued at €1.3 million last August.
The 613m² ambulance base will include a 129m² garage, two canopied parking bays, and 19 canopied spaces for emergency vehicles.
The two-storey base will also have offices, bathroom, shower, and laundry facilities as well as a kitchen and quiet room for Paramedics.
Last June the city council ordered the HSE to redesign the planned station to significantly cut down on the amount of parking on site.
The original plans were for 78 parking spaces, which city planners said was more than twice what was required for a development of this size.
The revised plans contained 25 spaces, not including space for emergency vehicles, but the HSE did not make other alterations to the external design that the city council requested, arguing that this is essentially an office space and its appearance should reflect its “utilitarian” function.
“It is important to the HSE and National Ambulance Service that a consistent architectural is maintained across all their facilities and unnecessary flamboyance avoided”
This week the HSE advertised Pre-Qualification Questionnaires for the construction of the new ambulance base.
The ambulance service in Galway has been suffering for several years since it was forced to make the move to “temporary” accommodation in Merlin Park Hospital due to construction work at UHG.
These prefab facilities have had a host of issues in the years since including freezing temperatures in winter, cramped conditions, and a rat infestation.
When completed the new base will provide consolidated ambulance services across the Galway city area.
