Private proposal for new hospital car park
Two health board members are pushing for a car park to be built at Christchurch Hospital as part of the Government’s plan to kickstart the country’s economy.
But bids for a share of the Government’s infrastructure spend-up have closed without the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) or the Ministry of Health putting in a proposal. Both said it was up to the other to put a bid in.
However, a proposal has been independently submitted by Christchurch project management company CRI Ltd, which submitted a proposal to the CDHB in 2014.
CRI director Rhys Head said his proposal featured two options worth between $35 million and
$60m.
The Government last month called on the private and public sector to submit ‘‘shovel-ready’’ infrastructure projects that it could fast-track as part of its response to the fallout from the
Covid-19 virus.
Head said he believed his proposal could be ready to proceed within six months.
‘‘I wanted to put a stake into the ground on behalf of the people of Canterbury.’’
CDHB member James Gough said the importance of a hospital car park could not be understated and he believed a park should be part of the Government’s infrastructure spend.
Fellow CDHB member Aaron Keown said if there was going to be a big infrastructure spend then a hospital car park should be on the
Cr Aaron Keown list. He has set up a Facebook page called Free Parking at Christchurch Hospital to garner support from Christchurch residents.
The page has more than 1100 members, a week after it was created.
‘‘This is about the people of Christchurch saying to the Government ‘we want parking at our hospital, we want it free and we want it now’.’’
CDHB chief executive David Meates said the Ministry of Health had taken responsibility for providing a new car park building, but because this had not yet materialised the CDHB was looking at options for relieving parking pressures.
A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said it was up to DHBs to decide if they wanted to submit projects directly to the Infrastructure Industry Reference Group.
She said the ministry was focused on finishing the new Christchurch Hospital Hagley building, but continued to work with the CDHB to decide on the best long-term car parking solutions.
Keown said he was not pushing for a particular site, but believed it had to be within a block of the hospital.
Christchurch city councillor Phil Mauger has weighed into the debate calling for a car park to be built on the site of the former car park building that was demolished following the earthquakes.
Meates said the site was already earmarked as the location of a new cancer centre, energy centre and labs facility.
Both Keown and Mauger believed the park needed to be free for staff, visitors and patients.
‘‘Charging to park at a hospital is just immoral and a lot of people agree with me,’’ Keown said.
‘‘We want parking at our hospital, we want it free and we want it now.’’