Tenders open for Kingston health centre

TENDERS have been called to build a health centre on the former Kingston High School site.

Liberal MHA Nic Street said calling tenders to build the centre on the 11ha site was a milestone in the provision of better health services for Kingborough and Huonville residents and should be a catalyst for further growth.

Tenders opened on Saturday and the centre is expected to be completed by 2019.

“I sincerely hope that the Hodgman Government’s investment in the site acts as a driver for further development in Kingston Park in the near future,” Mr Street said.

The new centre will replace the current building in John St and has been specifically designed to allow for future expansion as the area grows.

But it does not come without planning issues.

At its meeting tonight, the Kingborough Council will launch an investigation into parking solutions for Kingston, including paid parking.

The investigation has been triggered by the removal of existing temporary all-day parking within Kingston Park.

The council’s agenda says work will be done to determine the origin, time of arrival and destination of the parked vehicles at Kingston Park.

The council will also schedule construction of a new parking area — possibly multi-storey _ once the most suitable long-term site is found.

Future all-day parking opportunities on the fringe of the city centre, such as the golf club land near council’s wetlands parking area will also be considered along with parkand-ride opportunities further afield such as the Huntingfield roundabout and at the Kingston Sports Centre.

“Cities all over the world are now prioritising walkable urban developments and encouraging inner-city living that is not reliant on the use of a car,” the agenda says.

“It is well understood that having plenty of cheap parking available will only contribute to traffic congestion.

“Such trends can be carefully applied to Kingston.”