Kildare aged care facility set for big 2025

THE award-winning aged care facility in Naas, McAuley Place, is set for a major expansion, following confirmation Kildare County Council “is expected” to go for planning permission in the early new year.

This came to light following a question from cllr Fintan Brett at a recent meeting of the Naas Municipal District members who had asked: “can the council update members as to when the Part 8 for McAuley Place, Naas will be brought forward for approval?” 

Siobhan Barry from the housing section in the formal reply said the proposal was still in pre-planning stage but “it is expected to launch the Part 8 in Q1 2025, and bring to the members (for ratification) in Q3 2025."

“They bought a site beside McAuley Place from O’Loughlin Houses,” said cllr Brett when speaking with the Kildare Nationalist afterwards.

“They’ve planned for 45 units and the department (of Housing) has sanctioned it,” he said. “We’d hopefully expect the Part 8 in Q1 or Q2 for up to 45 units … that’s brilliant.” He added: “That’ll bring it from 80 to up to 120-130 units there, and proves how successful a venture it is, a leading light in Europe it is for elderly people who can’t live alone but don’t want to go into a nursing home.” 

He added: “Positioned where it is (in the former Convent of Mercy on the town end of the Sallins Road) they have everything beside them – shops, the church, even the pub! ... It’s an extremely successful venture.” 

Local councillors put in €100,000 of LPT (Local Property Tax) money last year to help them with the design while fundraising is ongoing.

For background, in January 2000, a group of professionals all living in Naas and aware of their own ageing, came together to plan the type of environment they would choose to live in if they could no longer remain independent at home but did not need full nursing care.

They decided that they might not be able to manage a three or four bedroomed house and garden, but could easily manage a one bedroomed apartment if it were located in the heart of the town. They committed themselves to developing an alternative to institutional residential care for older persons and a model that would create a society for all ages, and this became McAuley Place.

While visiting in June 2012 President Michael D Higgins said McAuley Place “should be used as an exemplar nationwide”.