Hospital site cleared by june
THE entire site secured for Dunedin’s new hospital could be cleared for the development by June.
The Ministry of Health was granted a resource consent yesterday to demolish buildings — including heritage facades — at the old Cadbury factory in Cumberland St.
Granting of the consent places the demolition part of the hospital project well ahead of schedule.
New Dunedin Hospital programme director Mike Barns said resolving the issue quickly
— effectively with the agreement of parties that had been opposed — was a major step.
Demolition crews are close to completing work at the former Wilson Parking building, site of a hospital outpatients building.
‘‘Demolition of the outpatients building site is on track for completion by Christmas, and having now secured this consent, the entire hospital site is expected to be cleared by June next year,’’ Mr Barns said.
It had previously been estimated demolition might be completed in February 2022.
In granting the consent for where the inpatients building would be constructed, hearing commissioner Gary Rae had to be convinced the probability of the hospital being built at the central city site was high.