Revised plans lodged for €50m Charter Medical Private Hospital expansion

Westmeath County Council has received a pre-validation approach seeking permission to alter the previously approved expansion of Charter Medical Private Hospital in Ballinderry, Mullingar, as plans progress for a €50 million investment in the facility.

The application, submitted on October 23, related to the extension granted permission from August 2023.

That provided for a 54-bed expansion, and the latest application outlines changes to the layout.

Under the revised proposals, 20 patient bedrooms and ancillary accommodation would be provided on the ground floor.

The first floor would accommodate three new operating theatres, recovery area and additional healthcare accommodation.

The development would comprise a two-storey structure over part of a basement, with plant areas and ancillary accommodation at basement level.

Rooftop plant rooms would also be included, parking, site works and services.

The application represents a planning stage in the investment announced by Charter Medical Group last December.

Charter Medical Private Hospital provides services that support the wider public health system, and a significant proportion of its patients access treatment through public healthcare pathways.

The planned expansion is intended to increase the capacity of the facility for surgical and diagnostic services, helping to address demand for treatment and potentially ease pressure on waiting lists.

The investment is also associated with an employment drive by the group, which has outlined ambitions to create 200 jobs over a two-year period spanning 2026 and 2027.

The recruitment programme is expected to take the organisation’s workforce to approximately 500 professionals.

The revised planning application will now be considered by Westmeath County Council, and a decision is anticipated by December 17, 2026.

The proposed alterations remain subject to the council’s planning process, and the application relates specifically to changes to the previously approved hospital extension.