Hospital parking sits empty

More than 50 car parks are sitting unused behind a fence at Christchurch Hospital while authorities struggle to find parking solutions for patients and staff.

A nurse with family members undergoing chemotherapy said the car parks, created for the new Christchurch Hospital Hagley building, should be made available before the building opens.

‘‘The parking situation is so desperate, and this is a shortterm, easy solution for a few needy patients,’’ they said.

The Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) employee, who requested anonymity, said it was a ‘‘waste’’ to have the car parks sitting behind a fence ‘‘mocking’’ patients.

They were ‘‘ready to go’’ and could be made available to those in particular need, such as the parents of babies in neonatal intensive care, or cancer patients.

The Ministry of Health, which is responsible for the roughly $500 million hospital project, has previously said the 52 short-term parks, for the new emergency department, would become available when the building opened.

But that date keeps being pushed back. It was originally meant to be finished in 2018 but now won’t be handed to the CDHB until the first quarter of next year.

New CDHB board member James Gough said the idea was ‘‘definitely’’ worth looking at.

‘‘The current arrangement is woeful, so all avenues which could help take that pressure off in the meantime until a permanent solution is found should be fully explored.’’

Ministry DHB performance support and infrastructure deputy director-general Michelle Arrowsmith said the car parks were still under the control of contractors and did not have a code of compliance, which was needed for them to be used.

‘‘While they look complete there is still work activity occurring on and near the area, which may pose potential health and safety risks to the public.’’

The ministry’s focus was on confirming the completion and hand-over dates for the new hospital with the main contractor, she said. ‘‘This includes consideration for access and early use of parts of the new facility, including car parking.’’

The car park was designed as a drop-off zone with short-term parking for 15 minutes, she said.

Meanwhile, work to provide more public parking grinds on.

While the ministry is responsible for providing a new parking building, the CDHB and other local agencies including O¯ ta¯ karo and the Christchurch City Council have been working to come up with solutions.

O¯ ta¯karo needs the CDHB’s afternoon staff car park in

Antigua St for the metro sports facility. CDHB chief executive David Meates has said O¯ ta¯ karo is looking for alternative sites for the car park, and the parties wanted to include public parking.

In another development, emails released under the Official Information Act show it is likely to be far more difficult to add two storeys, about 270 car parks, to the existing CDHB staff parking building in Antigua St than first thought. The CDHB board approved the project in April.

CDHB corporate solicitor Tim Lester said in an email in August ‘‘there will be more engineering required than first envisaged’’.

In a later email, he said that meant the costs ‘‘may now be prohibitive’’.