The approval of planning permission to develop a new children's hospital in Dublin has been welcomed by Sinn Féin.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD said the new National Children's Hospital on the St. James Hospital campus is "a great day for children's medical care".

He said: "However considering this area is one of the most disadvantaged in the state, care has to be given to the needs of the immediate locality – they must not be negatively impacted by this positive project.

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"The delivery of promised short and long term community gain by An Bord Pleanála is paramount and I will continue to work with them to ensure the needs of the community are met."

Deputy Ó Caoláin said: "I very much welcome the Bord Pleanála decision as this allows the project to replace the existing three children’s hospital sites to get underway and to come into service by the end of this decade. It simply cannot happen soon enough.

"While I understand and share some of the concerns expressed by some voices, I believe that these can be overcome. The critical consideration is that we secure a state of the art children’s hospital facility as speedily as possible and the news heralds that."

Work is expected to start this summer and be completed by 2020.

(CD/MH)