A clear plan for the future of the St Brigid’s site in Ballinasloe must be brought forward by the HSE, local representatives have insisted this week.

With plans advancing to bring part of the approximately 120-acre site to the market, local TD Claire Kerrane has said health chiefs need to outline what exactly they are planning before the site is divvied up for sale.

The Sinn Féin TD for Roscommon/Galway said the HSE had confirmed to her that approximately 91 acres is to be retained “to provide for current and future service requirements”.

The remainder, as confirmed to local Councillor Evelyn Parsons (Ind) at a recent meeting of Regional Health Forum West, is likely to go on the private market in quarter two of 2026.

Deputy Kerrane this week called for a ‘pause’ on the sale until the HSE had stated their intentions for the development of the site.

“I am really concerned that the HSE are chopping up the St Brigid’s site to keep some and sell some – and that is all we know.

“I think it is a bad deal for the people of Ballinasloe,” she said.

Several HSE-led services have been proposed for the St Brigid’s site since mental health services there closed their doors in 2013.

Among them, said Deputy Kerrane, were a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAHMS) clinic, a new ambulance training college and a hospice – it has been confirmed that a new ambulance base for Ballinasloe will be provided on the site.

“The people of Ballinasloe deserve to be able to access services and supports on this site. And it can and should serve young and old.

“The HSE should be clear on their plans for these lands and a timeframe for development,” she said.

Cllr Parsons said HSE management had continually moved the date for bringing portions of the site to the market – the Health Forum was told in 2024 they would be put up for sale in 2025. At their most recent meeting, that date had slipped into the middle of 2026.

The Independent Councillor said she did not want to see any further delay in advancing the development of the St Brigid’s site but said she also believed it was crucial that the HSE set out its overall vision for the site.

“There is a significant requirement for community facilities in Ballinasloe. This is public land and I would like to think that it would be used to address those needs now and into the future.

“There is a requirement locally for elderly care and for an acquired brain injury service. I would have thought that the proposed Enhanced Community Care Centre for Ballinasloe would be located there – Ballinasloe is going to be a hub for 50,000 people across South Roscommon and East Galway.

“We don’t have the full picture of what is going to be located at St Brigid’s and I would love clarity on that,” said Cllr Parsons.

Plans for Galway County Council to take ownership of the nurses’ home on the site of the former psychiatric hospital have long been mooted, in order to deliver a domestic violence refuge to serve the county.

Cllr Parsons said this it had not yet been confirmed if this was going ahead she hoped the much-needed facility would form part of the overall plan – and she believed there was an opportunity to deliver housing on the St Brigid’s site too.

“This is a serviced site in the heart of the town, located within the developed area. It has access from all sides and if it was developed properly, prioritising the needs of the community, it could be transformative,” she said, adding: “It should not be sold off for profit alone.”

Pictured: St Brigid’s…call for clarity.