Primary Care Centre Planning Gets Approval for Kilcock

Primary Care Centre Planning Gets Approval for Kilcock

HSE planning application to develop on the Bawnogues.

At the recent meeting of Kildare County Councillors, there was a unanimous decision to approve the contravention of the Kilcock Local Area Plan to allow Kildare County Council to proceed with the planning application by the HSE to develop a Primary Care Centre on the Bawnogues, Kilcock. 

This development proposes a new Primary Care Centre of 2335m2, of 2-3 storeys. The development will involve changing the location and upgrading the existing site entrance on Brayton Park, new site landscaping works to include new boundary treatment, paths and planting and parking for 80 cars and 12 bicycles and the construction of a new surface water drainage pipe to outflow at the site boundary to the south west.

Over the last number of years the Kilcock community have been pursuing the development of a Primary Care Centre for Kilcock. This need was agreed as the key priority of research undertaken in 2012 to establish the Integrated Services Programme (ISP) in Kilcock. 

This research highlighted that a number of gaps exist in relation to the provision and access to health care. Therefore, responding to healthcare issues was agreed as one of the key priorities for the area. Central to this was to develop a Primary Health Care Facility which would respond to existing gaps and access to health service provision in Kilcock. 

The key driver for increased demand for health care is the rapid growth of Kilcock. The population of the Kilcock reached 7,281 in 2011, having grown considerably over the past five years (26.3% compared with 8.1% nationally). It was amongst the fastest growing areas in Kildare and Kilcock grew over three times more than the national average between 2006-2011. Kilcock has a population comparable to Longford town. 

Significant progress has taken place to address the issues raised through the research. Kilcock was announced as one of the priority locations for the establishment of a primary care facility. It is expected that the centre will coordinate a range of health professionals at local level, including: 

  • GPs
  • public health nurses
  • social workers
  • community mental health services
  • physiotherapy
  • occupational therapy
  • drugs services
  • home help. 


Additional health services will be available in Kilcock which are urgently required. 

The Bawnogues 

Another key priority identified is the development of a multipurpose Community Facility. 

Kilcock Community Network, a network of 45 local groups, commissioned a feasibility study to identify a suitable site for the development of a multi-purpose community facility in Kilcock. The Bawnogues was identified as the most suitable site. The consultations as part of the study highlighted the strong preference and openness of the HSE new primary care facility to co-locate with the multipurpose facility on the Bawnogues.

Fergus Fenlon (Integrated Services Programme) is working with the Kilcock Community Network, HSE and Kildare County Council to progress the developments on the Bawnogues and said: 

“The integrated approach to securing HSE collaboration to establish the proposed primary health care facility in the Bawnogues alongside the multipurpose community facility will provide a model for health, sports, recreation, integration and community development that could be considered in other areas. Developing the Primary Health Care Facility on the Bawnogues will also maximise resources, and reduce costs while fitting with the vision for Kilcock.”

This decision is welcomed by the ISP and further progresses the work of the community and agencies who have worked together to achieve a better Kilcock.

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