Director provides update on hospital progress

Ministry of Health new hospital programme director Mike Barns gave an update to media at the former Ministry of Social Development building in St Andrew St yesterday.

Preparations for demolishing the second of two city blocks destined to become the new Dunedin hospital are getting under way.

Scaffolding would be set up soon for the dismantling, which would disrupt pedestrian traffic through August, Mr Barns.

New hospital programme director Mike Barns. Photo: Gregor Richardson
New hospital programme director Mike Barns. Photo: Gregor Richardson
But the major work of demolition, which would be controlled from within the site, was still ‘‘a number of months away’’.

The project team was ‘‘quietly happy’’ with the less than expected amount of asbestos on site.

‘‘Obviously, it’s an urban situation, so we have to be careful, but the demolition itself is an uncomplex exercise, in terms of the type of building we’ve got to deal with and its location in town,’’ he said.

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