The following is from our organisation’s submission to An Bord Pleanála in 2011. While it refers to the Mater site, it is equally true of the St. James’s site

“NCHA wishes to note that both employees and patient families require more parking spaces than appear to be compatible with centre city parking. This is a strong argument in favour of not locating such a major health facility in the city centre. Furthermore the arrival of the carbon-neutral car of the future should be anticipated and catered for. Skilled staff, already difficult to recruit, and often working twelve hour shifts, will choose more friendly locations in which to work. They will not appreciate being forced on to public transport – what is appreciated is choice .”

“An emergency condition may be perceived to exist by hugely stressed parents at any time of day or night until they can deliver their child or infant into the care of professionals and the safety of the Emergency Department . Very sick children are much more likely than adults to come to hospital by car…In our opinion, a city centre such as Dublin’s, with narrow streets and a innate danger of gridlock if stressed, is incompatible with the duty -of-care of the only Children’s Hospital in the Greater Dublin Area- responsible for the timely, safe and optimal care of a child with a life-threatening condition. Every child is precious, not a minor statistic caught in a traffic jam.”

Dublin City Council imposes severe restriction of parking at St. James’s because of the poor traffic capacity of its feeder roads.