More car parks to be lost

Wilson struggles to find new site

DUNEDIN could lose another 250 car parks in the city centre to the new Dunedin Hospital.

The news comes as the city’s parking stock is already depleted by almost 170 parks with the construction of the oneway cycleway.

But Southern Partnership Group chairman Pete Hodgson, who is overseeing the hospital build, said there might be a possibility of parking space somewhere in the area once planning was complete.

A fasttracked hospital build announced last week means an outpatient and day surgery building is expected to be situated on the site of the Wilson Parking building on the corner of St Andrew St and Cumberland St.

Wilson Parking said this week it was yet to sell its land to the Ministry of Health.

Chief operating officer Ryan Orchard said the property was unique.

‘‘Wilson has invested heavily in the facility, upgrading the car park to a premium parking option, and to date we have been unable to identify any substitute properties.’’

A count of parks in the building yesterday showed there were about 258 in the Wilson building, over two floors.

Mr Hodgson said he recognised the capacity of the Wilson car park ‘‘and the loss of that capacity to that part of the city’’. ‘‘We’re mindful of that.

‘‘It may well be that other car parking space may become available on a temporary or even permanent basis as the hospital is progressed.’’

However, he said those decisions must be taken ‘‘in sequence’’ and he was not in a position to say any more.

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said it was not a given there were fewer parks in North Dunedin, as parks were being created as others were lost.

However, there were more people and more cars in the city, and the new hospital would have car parks for staff.

Because of growth in the city, ‘‘we need to be looking at models other cities bigger and busier than us use where fewer and fewer people expect to drive into the middle of town to work and park their car.

‘‘They use other means.’’

The city would need to consider those options, as well as finding replacement parking.

Meanwhile, the Otago Polytechnic said it planned to relocate staff and students from the Wilson Building, where it has space.

The polytech would build on land in Anzac Ave, chief operating officer Philip Cullen said, where it was planning a major addition to its School of Art.