Consultation with community interests on the rebuild had been deficient and the formation of the Local Advisory Group (LAG) was intended to address that, Southern Partnership Group chair Pete Hodgson said today.
"Local engagement to date has been inadequate and addressing that is both necessary and overdue. Advice from the
Local Advisory Group will feed directly into the Southern Partnership Group, which in turn is now much more closely linked with the University.''
Councillors and officials from Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council, as well as senior representation from Ngai Tahu and the New Zealand Transport Agency will make up the new advisory group.
Mr Hodgson said the initiative was the idea of Health Minister and Dunedin North MP David Clark, and the two men had set up the group together.
"We need local advice on site selection urgently,'' Mr Hodgson said.
"We need to ensure that the hospital development is consistent with the central city redevelopment initiatives: For example, we need to think about the effect of the new hospital on public transport.
"Some of the sites under consideration are straddled by State Highway 1, which means some traffic engineering input would be useful before we finalise a site.''
The LAG's first meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday.
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I suggested some time ago the bus hub be underground - under the new hospital- with provision for electric vehicle chargers. Vehicles of the future will be electric- that is ambulances, taxis, buses, police cars & personal cars. This way people are encouraged to leave leave their car at home and take the bus to commute/ to visit/attend/ hospital.