The Ministry of Health has applied to speed up the consent process for the new Dunedin Hospital.
If approved, the project will be one of the first to take advantage of the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast Track Consenting) Act, passed by the Government earlier this year as part of its pandemic recovery package.
Rebuild director Mike Barns said while the Ministry was confident that would have obtained consent for the hospital, a fast track consent would give people confidence that the new hospital would soon be open for business.
“It’s important we have certainty on the construction timeframes for the new Dunedin Hospital,'' Mr Barns said.
“We want people in Dunedin and the southern region to feel confident that Outpatients will open in 2025 and Inpatients will be on track for 2028.''
The consenting decision should be made early next year.
Under the Act, the Minister for the Environment (David Parker) assesses the application first, and if approved then refers it to an expert consulting panel - which must include a local council nominee and an iwi representative - for final consideration.
“We’ve discussed the option of using the Covid-19 Recovery Act with the Dunedin City Council, and they understand and support the need to use the fast-track process,'' Mr Barns said.
NEW DESIGN IMAGES RELEASED
Newly released concept design images of the new Dunedin Hospital have given another glimpse of what the $1.4 billion project may finally look like.
Revealed by Health Minister Andrew Little today, the drawings are indicative only and changes, especially to the facade, were likely, he said.
Mr Little also announced a revamp of the governance of the project, with former steering group the Southern Partnership Group being dissolved, to be replaced by a new executive steering group.
The new group would mean the project was managed in the same manner as other state sector projects, he said.
‘‘With the project moving to the next stages, it’s important governance and oversight arrangements also progress.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the Southern Partnership Group members for their significant contribution and commitment to progressing the project to date.’’
Dunedin and southern communities would continue to have a voice in how the hospital looked and the services it will offer through the Local Advisory Group, which Mr Little said would continue.
The ESG would be led by an independent chairperson, and include representatives from the Southern District Health Board, the Ministry of Health, iwi, clinicians and people with infrastructure expertise.
Last week, the Ministry of Health was granted consent to demolish the former Cadbury's factory, which occupies half the site for the new hospital.
Demolition is under way on buildings further up the street, the land where the second of the two planned main hospital buildings will stand.
The early construction engagement contract for the inpatients building was expected to be awarded in April 2021, and the tender for the outpatients building would be released later in 2021.
“The new Dunedin Hospital is a top priority for the Government,’’ Mr Little said.
‘‘It will transform healthcare in the region, improving health outcomes for New Zealanders, and it will also deliver many economic benefits, which is important in the Covid-19 environment.”
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Comments
No one really cares what colour, how many levels or how many buildings there are.
People do care about what treatments will be delivered there. It seems quite obvious services will be cut from what is delivered in Dunedin today. The election is over so how about telling the public the truth now. No more smoke and mirrors.
Who wil be treated in Dunedin and who will have to travel north?
Oh for goodness sake! We need a hospital, not a damned monument to modern architecture. All those odd angles add $$$ and leak risk. Just build a solid rectangle or two that will be big enough for a regional, tertiary level hospital--the money saved on the fripperies will allow the building to be big enough to meet our needs into the future. I think egos are getting in the way of common sense... again.
I read a really positive news item about our new hospital build. How on earth the same negative voices can reconstruct a positive article into a negative take suggests you guys need to get out more or better still do some travelling.
Travel a lot. Mostly to Christchurch. For treatment. But I guess, I will be able to admire the pretty little new hospital as I drive past it heading North...
KeithMcC and flatplatypus. both your comments hit the nail right on the head. Now can someone please convince me that the old Cadbury site was actually needed. All the new buildings should be made to fit on the Wilson parking block. If Cadbury had stayed in Dunedin it would have been made to fit.
The two buildings offer quite different services. A building taller than eight stories could not be erected on that site as it’s reclaimed land.
and, so is the Cadbury site. Reclaimed that is.
Then why build a hospital on reclaimed land and between two state highways to boot.
Yes, you are not wrong. The design of the new hospital is predicated on community medical hubs being in place to provide a whole lot of services that are currently provided in the hospital... that is why it is so small. It's just that there aren't any community medical hubs. And the cost of those services and buildings does not appear to have been factored into the new build budget. It seems that money is going to design whimsy and peoples 'legacy' projects not to the stuff that actually delivers good healthcare.
@flatplatypus, Not sure where you get the idea that it is small . The initial 2 buildings are already much larger than the existing hospital ,hence they need 1.5 blocks rather than the existing one. If they go with the third building that they are looking at the initial 2 buildings will have even more available space . On top of this they have effectively 1/2 a block for future expansion , not to mention what ever they decide to do with the existing hospital and land .