Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow and Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), John Brady, has welcomed confirmation that a contractor has been appointed to carry out works to facilitate the return of River Lodge in Newtownmountkennedy to the HSE, but he questioned the lack of urgency to the process after it emerged that these works are not expected to be completed until November 2026.
Deputy Brady said the latest update raises serious questions about the painfully slow pace of the transfer of the site back to the HSE, which was agreed in January of this year, and by extension the long delay in bringing the site back into community use.
Teachta Brady said:
“While I welcome the confirmation that a contractor has finally been appointed and that the necessary works are now due to take place, it is completely reasonable to ask why this process has taken so long.
“It was December 2024 that residents vacated the site, and all the way back in January this year that we were advised that it had been agreed with the HSE that River Lodge would be returned to them, bringing the licensed use of the site for IPAS accommodation to a conclusion.
“Months later, we are now being told that works required to facilitate the return of the site are expected to take place between September and November 2026.
“The works being outlined are relatively straightforward, clearing a spoil heap, disconnecting and removing temporary services, removing site hoarding and installing fencing around the boundary.
“These are not works that should require months and months of delay before a site can be returned to the HSE and by extension to the community.
“But unfortunately that is what we have seen.
“What is particularly concerning is the substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money that have already been spent on a site that has remained vacant and unused for almost 2 years.
“We know that more than €310,000 has been spent on security at River Lodge in 2026 to date, bringing the total amount of public money spent on the site to more than €4.5 million.
“This level of expenditure makes the lack of urgency all the worse.
“The Government has repeatedly told us that the site would be returned to the HSE as soon as possible. Yet we are now looking at works not being completed until November, and the handover at an undefined date following that.
“The local community deserves to know why there has been such a delay to reach this point, and why the return could not have been progressed much sooner.
“This saga represents failure upon failure by Government.
“Local residents and public representatives raised serious concerns about the suitability of River Lodge for IPAS accommodation from the very beginning. Those concerns were dismissed and the Government pressed ahead regardless.
“The result is that more than €4.5 million, and counting, of taxpayers’ money has now been spent, while the site remains unused and the local community is still waiting for clarity about its future.
“The priority now must be to complete these works without any further delay and return River Lodge to the HSE.
“Once that has happened, there must be a transparent process to assess all options for the future use and development of the site for the benefit of the local community.
“I have already engaged with Wicklow County Council on this and have made the case strongly that they must work with the HSE to have the site utilised for the community.
“The people of Newtownmountkennedy deserve answers, transparency and urgency.
“Every further day that passes without the site being returned is another day in which taxpayers and the local community continue to carry the cost of this failure.
“I will continue to press the Government for a definitive handover date, clarity on the remaining costs and a clear plan for the future of River Lodge.”
ENDS