29 May 2009

Hospital Car Park called in

| johnboy
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Andrew Barr has announced that he’s not willing to leave the development application for the Canberra Hospital’s planned 9 storey car park at the un-tender mercies of the ACT’s planning process and he’s bringing it in for his own perusal.

Interestingly he’s made this move at Katy Gallagher’s request.

    Under Section 159 of the Planning and Development Act 2007, the Minister may direct the Planning and Land Authority to cease work on an assessment and call all relevant documents possessed by the Authority into the Minister’s office for consideration by the Minister.

    The Minister may do so in any of the following circumstances:
    • Where the application raises a major policy issue
    • Where the application seeks approval for a development that may have a substantial effect on the achievement or development of the object of the Territory Plan as set out in the Statement of Strategic directions and objectives for each zone to which the application relates
    • Where the approval or refusal of the application would provide a substantial public benefit.

    “I believe the applications meet the criteria under the Act, especially considering this car park could have enormous benefit for all who use the hospital and that it could considerably reduce parking congestion in neighbourhood streets immediately around the hospital,” Mr Barr said.

    “While a call-in does not mean I have made a decision, it provides me as Minister with the chance to examine all the appropriate documentation and make the final decision. I will make my decision in coming days.”

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gun street girl said :

Quokka said :

Harli, I’m shocked and appalled at your disrespect for our hard working administrators. We should be grateful to have them – the least we can do to show our appreciation is to give them the best and safest car parks in the hospital. It would be dreadful to think of them having to walk across the road after a hectic day’s drinking coffee and attending important committee meetings.

gun street girl, I do hope you aren’t saying that the administrators have an easy life? It must be very hard for them, what with losing records, referrals and results every 6-months, then having a new system to learn over and over again…

They obviously deserve the carparks that mean they don’t get cold, wet or have to walk across a busy road at night…

The administrators should be in the carpark on the other side of the road – the ED and nursing staff should have the admin parks… in a perfect world, at least.

They are putting a staff carpark further down from the Yamba Drive one, and one behind CIT. It will be a security nightmare! Visitors will be using the current staff one while construction goes on for the new multi-story, giving them an even longer walk.As for the new Women and Children’s Hospital, there seems to be very little parking incorporated into it, with provision for a “possible” one beside it in the future. So these poor people will have to traipse across the entire hospital campus to visit sick kids and new mums. What a joke!

As for the Birth Centre it will be in the middle of the maternity floor (level 3)right next to Delivery Ward. Granted there will be 2 more birth suites, but the siting of it is not what is wanted at all. However, will put a dent in the waiting list, albeit a small one.

The funny thing I have noticed with the plans is that they plan to build this 9 storey carpark, but they plan on taking away the dirtcarpark on the Hindmarsh Drive end & the staff carpark on the other side of Yamba Drive. So most of them will just take up car park spots. Also what about them having mental health & psychiatric wards separate. I would of at least kept them next to each other, not 10 minutes walk apart.

gun street girl10:49 am 31 May 09

Quokka said :

Actually, the new carpark will be built mostly on the footprint of the current multi-storey carpark. It seems that the Integrated Cancer Care Centre will remain at the location of the current linear accelerators (i.e., immediately north of the carpark). The carpark will also overlook the new Mental Health Unit to the south and no doubt will be something of an eye-opener for people on the upper levels of the carpark…

Plans of the proposed hospital development are available at:
http://www.health.act.gov.au/c/health?a=sendfile&ft=p&fid=1217202366&sid=

The plan looks slightly different to the pictures posted up around the hospital (or my memory is faulty – quite likely). Seems they will have to re-plan the cancer centre, then, given that the current location cited on the plans is the radiation oncology department. Medical oncology – consult, office and treatment rooms – will have to move down there too, presumably… no room for them as it stands now.

The most interesting thing about those plans is the ridiculous idea of moving the ED down to under Building 3. No worries: just move it as far away as possible from the ICU, radiology and surgical departments – because that makes perfect sense. Not to mention the idiocy of refurbishing the current ED, with the intent of picking it up and moving it in the near future.

I work at TCH and it is going to be an ongoing HILARIOUS mess… we as staff can’t even get a park if we arrive five to ten minutes before a shift and that is in security parking… all I can say is don’t get sick in the next few years… what a bloody nightmare – again, no consideration for patients, visitors or staff… unless of course you are executive parking, you get a SPECIAL spot close to the hospital because you work 0830-1700, while the shift workers are shoved to one side… all about the BIG boys…

Harli, I’m shocked and appalled at your disrespect for our hard working administrators. We should be grateful to have them – the least we can do to show our appreciation is to give them the best and safest car parks in the hospital. It would be dreadful to think of them having to walk across the road after a hectic day’s drinking coffee and attending important committee meetings.

I work at TCH and it is going to be an ongoing HILARIOUS mess… we as staff can’t even get a park if we arrive five to ten minutes before a shift and that is in security parking… all I can say is don’t get sick in the next few years… what a bloody nightmare – again, no consideration for patients, visitors or staff… unless of course you are executive parking, you get a SPECIAL spot close to the hospital because you work 0830-1700, while the shift workers are shoved to one side… all about the BIG boys…

As for the birth center I have heard that the whole new Women and Children’s section incorporating birth suite will be JUST like the birth center, what an absolute joke… the demand is MASSIVE for the birth center…. totally different philosophy of care…. total cockup….

Again, with the no consultation with anyone who actually really works with the patients, only those who work in their little offices and have no idea what we are doing in the real world and don’t step down to check out the scene… Less management and more nurses and doctors might actually make a difference

The entire campus is a planning mess. There has never been any master plan, new building has occurred in an ad hoc way, and each faulty decision means that any opportunity for thoughtful placement of related facilities will never happen.

Not once has there been any integration of ideas or planning intent.

This is not just of Katie’s doing, but she has been one of the worst health ministers when it comes to putting together effective health infrastructure.

Actually, the new carpark will be built mostly on the footprint of the current multi-storey carpark. It seems that the Integrated Cancer Care Centre will remain at the location of the current linear accelerators (i.e., immediately north of the carpark). The carpark will also overlook the new Mental Health Unit to the south and no doubt will be something of an eye-opener for people on the upper levels of the carpark…

Plans of the proposed hospital development are available at:
http://www.health.act.gov.au/c/health?a=sendfile&ft=p&fid=1217202366&sid=

gun street girl10:48 am 30 May 09

The current multi-level car park is the site of the new cancer centre. The site makes sense (at least in theory), given that it can’t easily move, as the linear accelerators are already dug into a bunker nearby in the radiation oncology department – it wouldn’t be easy to put the centre anywhere else.

I am looking forward to when this car park is built. But ain’t looking forward to the construction. Why is the tallest carpark at TCH being knocked down, when they could of easily built this new carpark where the current staff car park is & use the entrance/exit road from the roundabout? That way the hospital could expand over the current multi storey carpark, with a bridge over the road for pedestrian access.

But I do wonder why is the minister taking over the plans? Maybe someone has made a comment that the Government didn’t like…..

And the missing birth centre, that is ‘definitely going to happen’ but is nowhere on the plans.

gun street girl9:05 am 30 May 09

So far we’ve got a planned new mental health facility that won’t fit on the hospital campus, and now confusion on how to proceed with the new carpark (which I’m sure won’t stop them from demolishing the existing multi-storey, regardless). I don’t know about you, but I’m filled with optimism about the whole hospital restructure.

Clown Killer7:46 am 30 May 09

Perhaps Katy is expecting again

Expecting to screw up again no doubt. At least she’s bright enough to realise the task of managing the process is beyond her meager abilities and has taken the decision to pass the buck to someone with a track record of delivering.

Perhaps Katy is expecting again and needs better car parking facilities than are so planned for all her visitors when she has the new baby? LOL!

Woo! Now does that mean we need to build a few hospitals in Civic to get a few 9 storey car parks approved?

Maybe a new Men’s and Elderly hospital?

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