Shortfall of 2000 hospital car parks
Christchurch’s health precinct could be up to 2000 car parks short in the long term. A parking building to alleviate the problem could cost more than $20 million.
That is according to a report from the city council’s commercial investment arm, Development Christchurch Ltd (DCL), obtained by The Press yesterday.
The report, provided to Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel and then earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee in January, said that during the hospital rebuild the car park shortfall could be closer to 3000.
Although construction workers were not allowed to park in the health zone during construction, ‘‘it would be naive to assume they will all comply with this requirement’’, the report said.
Options for solving the parking issue included the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) finding a commercial partner to build up to 1400 car parks on council or CDHB land.
Under the arrangement ‘‘an external party’’ would design, build, own and operate a parking building for a set period before transferring ownership back to the CDHB or council, as was the case with the previous hospital parking building, which was demolished after the earthquakes.
The report said the CDHB indicated a building with up to 1000 parks for staff, patients and visitors could carry a price tag of $16m to $23m, plus professional fees, demolition and site preparation costs.
Potential locations for the building were blacked out in the report on the grounds the information was commercially sensitive and releasing it might inhibit a ‘‘free and frank expression of opinions’’.
It is understood the temporary police station site in St Asaph St is a possibility.
The DCL report suggested the nearby Metro Sport Facility (MSF) increase its parking by 100 spaces, to 650, and allow hospital staff to use them outside peak demand periods.
Under their employment contracts, nurses had to be provided with secure, well lit after-hours parking close to the hospital, the DCL report pointed out.
Last month, a Christchurch Hospital nurse was assaulted on her way to work, while another raised concerns after getting a $65 parking ticket when staying late to help a patient in cardiac arrest. More than 500 staff are on waiting lists for two staff car-parking buildings.
Other options the DCL report suggested were park-and-ride shuttles from the old AMI stadium and Christchurch Women’s Hospital sites.
CDHB chief executive David Meates said the health board organised an extra 276 staff parking spaces near the hospital and was continuing to explore other options for patients, staff and visitors. A permanent solution was unlikely until 2019 and would come ‘‘at a significant cost’’, he said.
‘‘It would be naive to assume they will all comply with this requirement.’’ Development Christchurch Ltd report
The DCL report raised questions about the adequacy of parking at the Metro Sport Facility. It said during a typical week day peak it would only have sufficient parking 60 per cent of the time.
If patronage was higher than expected, a parking building on the MSF site could still be considered, especially since simultaneous events at the pools and indoor courts could attract up to 5000 patrons.
The DCL report said the council was committed to free parking at the MSF to encourage patronage and supported the need for 650 parks. Technology may be needed to limit the duration of parking by sports facility users and prevent non-users from taking advantage of the free parking.
A spokesperson for Otakaro Limited, the Crown agency responsible for the sport facility, said a multi-storey car park had been considered, but was not ‘‘progressed’’ because the planned parking was sufficient for a facility of its size and range of uses.