All that is required is approval of the design changes detailed in a resource consent application lodged last month, and confirmation of finance from Wanacare Ltd's bankers.
Wanacare Ltd spokesman Dr Andrew McLeod said this week he hoped the approvals would be obtained within the next few weeks, which would then allow builders to start work at the Cardrona Valley Rd site.
Construction company Naylor Love has been contracted to build the centre, which has been in the pipeline for more than five years and is a key component of the Aspiring Retirement Village resource consent granted in 2008.
The development is a bold move by Wanacare Ltd's three partners, the Wanaka Medical Centre, Aspiring Medical Centre and Wanaka Physiotherapy.
Dr McLeod said co-locating probably exceeded the needs of the present population but was more than justified by business models.
They have strong community support to co-locate because of space pressure at the existing premises, population growth projections and the lack of a hospital in Wanaka.
The partners will retain their own separate business identities in the new facility.
Radiology specialists and other visiting specialists will also work from the building and space is available for other tenants.
The partners have been raising the funds for the past five years because no government capital funding is available.
"We decided to just get on with it. If there's some funding that arrives, that's great. It would be very welcome. Anything with six naughts after it would be great," Dr McLeod said.
Some seed funding was provided by the Otago District Health Board to prepare a feasibility study.
Wanacare Ltd had also hoped some capital funding might have followed on from recent government policy decisions to support integrated health centre models, but it did not happen.
"It is a big programme that has exercised us and our thoughts heaps, over the years. But we have a very good relationship with Naylor Love as well as Maltbys, our quantity surveyors, who have been very helpful in keeping us on the straight and narrow," Dr McLeod said.
Otago District Health Board planning and funding manager David Chrisp said yesterday the board supported Wanacare Ltd's plans and had talked with Wanaka's health care providers about the services to be offered by specialists at the new centre.
"It is very bold and is to be commended. It is very exciting," Mr Chrisp said.
The Otago District Health Board is responsible for funding primary health services through Otago's single Primary Health Organisation.
Mr Chrisp said the government policy or vision for integrated health centres should result in more centres like Wanaka's around the country and agreed capital funding could be an issue for many.
"The ODBH just doesn't have the capital funding. We have capital plans of our own that we can't get funded. But the initiative is a good one. What Wanaka is doing is fantastic. We will see more of them . . . but others may not need to spend $7 million because they have already got a facility they can use," Mr Chrisp said.
Meanwhile, Wanacare Ltd has decided to reduce the scale of the building from 2250sq m to 1982sq m, to accommodate the needs of the three partners, who are the key tenants.
This has resulted in minor changes to the floor plan and shape of the building.
A variation to increase the volume of earthworks is also required because the building platform has been tucked slightly into a slope and requires more cut to provide a flat building surface.
The increase in earthworks also provides for 119 carparks and landscaping.
The zoning requires a restricted discretionary consent, meaning the council's consideration is limited to the effects of the building coverage and to imposing conditions relating to the nature and scale of the medical centre and associated earthworks.
The nearest neighbour is more than 200m away.
Statistics New Zealand and Queenstown Lakes District Council long-term permanent population projections for the Wanaka area indicate an increase from about 7000 residents in 2006 to more than 14,000 by 2026.
Wanaka should also be receiving about 4 million visitors a year by 2026 (or 11,000 a day).
