Labour: "Government must CPO Bessborough and preserve it as a public memorial"

The Labour Party has called on the Government to acquire the site of the former Mother and Baby home at Bessborough, Co Cork via Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).

Estuary View Enterprises was granted planning permission by Cork City Council to build 106 apartments at the site.

Bessborough was opened in 1922 and was the last of the mother and baby institutions to shut down in 1998.

There were over 18,000 women and children in Bessborough throughout these years and many children who died there have not had identified burial sites. Labour Party Councillor Peter Horgan appealed to the Government that a CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) would be an option to prevent the developer from building apartments over the site.

Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD said: "The decision today to grant planning permission on such a sensitive site is a hammer blow to all survivors and campaigners. The failure of the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Government to intervene at an earlier stage is deeply regrettable and will be remembered by all survivors and families."

"We also recognise the tireless work of the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home Support Group, whose efforts have ensured that these voices are heard. Their campaign has brought national attention to this issue and has highlighted the need for accountability and respect in how this site is treated."

The Bessborough Mother and Baby Home Support Group have campaigned to preserve the site for the mothers and babies who lived there. A statement by the group said: "To this day, mothers have had to fight every step of the way to get information about their children and if that child died, it was and still is near impossible to obtain any information."

64 graves of the over 923 children who died at the site have been identified. According to the Mother and Baby Homes Commission, inspections during the 1940s estimated an infant mortality rate of 82%. This was a result of overcrowding, poor conditions, abuse and malnutrition.

Opposition parties have previously condemned the planning permission to be granted at a protest outside the Dáil on March 18 this year. 

 

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In an Instagram post, the Labour Party said "Government must CPO Bessborough and preserve it as a public memorial...There must be justice for survivors."