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A draft illustration of how the building layout of the new Dunedin Hospital might look. IMAGE:...
A draft illustration of how the building layout of the new Dunedin Hospital might look. IMAGE: MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Only a fraction of the 250 parks on the new Dunedin Hospital site will be for public use — and it appears they will only be for drop-offs.

But a parking building next to the hospital appears to be part of the new hospital project team’s thinking.

The Ministry of Health this week said the "minimum" of 250 parks planned for on site would include parks for ambulances and other hospital vehicles, parks for clinical and other staff and drop-off parks for the public.

There are 184 car parks at Dunedin Hospital’s present site, but the detail of where the on-site parks will be at the new Dunedin Hospital site remains unclear.

A master business case for the hospital, due early next year, is expected to provide more detail.

In August, project chairman Pete Hodgson said parking under the main building on the former Cadbury site — a strategy favoured in a 2019 document — was now looking less likely because of geotechnical conditions.

A spokeswoman said parking was part of wider health precinct planning work under way and the new hospital’s project team was looking into "what opportunities may exist for the development of a public parking building adjacent to the hospital".

She said a public car parking building was not within the scope of the new hospital project, but the project team could look to "facilitate" opportunities with prospective developers.

That potential development would depend on the parking strategy the multi-agency Dunedin city centre traffic overhaul project team came up with.

That group, made up of representatives from the NZ Transport Agency and Dunedin City and Otago Regional councils, recently issued a summary of feedback on an online "engagement" exercise it undertook in June and July.

As part of the online exercise people were invited to pick a point on a map of central Dunedin and add their own ideas or respond to ideas the group and other members of the public had come up with for that particular spot.

For example, in two areas, around Wharf St and in the Warehouse Precinct, the group suggested new off-street parking "facilities".

The idea was to provide all-day commuter parking at the edge of the central city within walking distance of places of work and important city-centre destinations, it said.

Parking in the Wharf St area, for example, could provide for the new hospital and city centre.

The Warehouse Precinct area could offer parking south of the city centre — because the majority of Dunedin’s commuters start their journeys from that direction — from where people could walk, ride or shuttle to work.

The most "liked"online idea of any proposed in relation to overhauling city centre traffic was the construction of a multi-storey car parking building people using the hospital could park in.

A parallel online survey done as part of the engagement drew 756 responses, which showed the hospital and parking were top of mind for many respondents.

Many expressed dissatisfaction with parking in the city centre at present.

Some said the hospital site was in the wrong place, and for many parking near the hospital was essential.

Some agencies bypassed the online methods and contributed full written submissions, including the Southern District Health Board, which called for a park ’n’ ride service to the hospital.

An NZTA spokeswoman confirmed that as a rule the agency did not pay for providing off-street parking, but park ’n’ ride facilities that helped reduce congestion on state highways had received co-funding.

One built in Christchurch, for example, that helped relieve congestion on the new Northern Corridor/Motorway by giving people somewhere to park their car and catch a bus (it had to be a public service not a private shuttle) or to park their car then join another driver for a carpooling ride into the city, had received some NZTA funding.

The funding assistance rate was usually about 50%, she said, but varied council area to council area.

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Park&Ride for the CBD / hospital, is a stupid idea.
Provided we keep our one way system, Dunedin does NOT have a congestion problem. Our 'rush hour' lasts about 30 minutes.
The only issue the one way system has is that it has been cluttered to the extent that it is now a high risk road.
Sure, the hospital site choice means that an underground car park is not an option but that doesn't negate the ground floor being a car park.
Build the public outdoor space OVER THE TOP of Cumberland St to provide pedestrian access to the CBD. The landscaped area would get more sun and shelter than at ground level, proved flood protection and above ground access to services.
Even suggesting that parking should be provided at the Warehouse precinct & Wharf St shows that the madness is strong with our small band of elites.

The most "liked"online idea......was the construction of a multi-storey car parking building people using the hospital could park in.

Because this is the most common sense approach!...Having a parking facility next to the building you wish to visit, isn't exactly rocket science.

The REAL issue here is the DCC, NZTA and now the SDHB working together to eliminate cars from our roads and have all Dunedin residents riding the bus, cycling or walking around this city. A multistory car park would be a given, if the DCC wanted one, but we all know they simply hate cars on our roads, so we won't be allowed one.

Do you not know- you have to take a bus to/from the hospital. No room even for a horse & cart, but there is always shank's pony. What century are we in? The level of planning sums it up.

The council goes on about inner-city congestion, yet this is just more proof that the new hospital site was wrong from the start. But Mondelez are very, very happy...

Extracts from..

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dunedin-hospital-budget-balloons-wood...

"We’ve released $127 million to progress design, demolition, piling, project management and early contractor engagement," the minister said.

'Mr Hipkins said the Government now expected the total budget for the project would exceed the upper budgeted figure of $1.4 billion'.

'These have included ground conditions on the inner city sites being "uniformly bad", and geotechnical surveys returning results which meant the cost of building the hospital building foundations would exceed the budget'.

'Modelling has also revealed the ground floors of the hospital buildings would need to be much higher so they would remain operational in case of flooding'.

= Fail

Who is paying for this hospital? ...yes, and we dont even get to park there. When visiting sick/dying famliy and friends, rushing to the ED, there should be plenty of parking at a modern hospital. Parking blocks away and having to walk is absurd to say the least.

So with the influence of the idiotic DCC, the Greens councillors and no doubt the anti-car Mr Cull, the hospital planners have failed in their first task.
Ignoring the public, how many staff are expected to work at the hospital. More than 250? If so then the plan is just wrong from the start. Nearby parking is needed because most hospital people start and end their shifts all through the day (and night) and public transport simply isn't available or too far and unsafe to get to at midnight.
So once again the rebuild mob are just not telling the truth. How many parks is driven by staff levels. How many staff is driven by services offered. And if they don't know what services are being offered yet you can decide how big the ca park needs to be.
Yep, really poor planning being pushed by anti car zealots and fools.

We all are paying for this hospital. I would rather the money was spent on hospital care facilities than car parks for those who can't otherwise figure out how to get themselves around.

I think you may be missing the point Dougal. Dunedin would be the only modern hospital without public car parking.
The whole deal is proving to be an epic fail. The planners, the DCC, the DHB......what a mess.
The Carisbrook site would have been the best. Putting health care right where it's needed the most, AWAY from the hustle and bustle of the city. On ramp. off ramp, right there at the motorway. Helicopter comes down the same route. You could even have placed a train station there for out of town patients and visitors had it been required. Takes all the hospital traffic away from the city entirely. Opportunity roundly LOST.
The whole thing has become a folly. They wanted the hospital in it's present location for one reason only.....close to the Uni....now look at the price of that decision. RIDICULOUS! It;s a comedy show, a very expensive one. Mr Bean and Basil Fawlty would have had a better solution than the current planners and players.
Anyway, we shall now bare the thorned crown.....

Too good for the public. The old, the crippled, the blind, the babies where does it stop - will either have to be dropped off or catcha bus or walk.

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