There’s a bit of a flurry around today’s suggestion of an “immediate” car park on Hagley Park for the hospital.
This has been an issue that myself and others have worked on for a number of years, for both the benefit of staff and patients. Unfortunately, the issue is a bit more complicated than Phil and Aaron are purporting it to be.
“Consultation” will not get around the Act of Parliament, prohibiting the use of Hagley Park in this way.
Even if you could, creating car parks along the side of the Park will be along the drip line of the trees and their roots: these trees will die.
A 700-800 car park solution was ready to go in 2017 with land having been purchased (when Aaron was on the Canterbury District Health Board). This hospital parking solution would have involved a 3 minute walk to the hospital and was to be supported by golf buggies to carry those unable to walk that distance. This option had been worked on for some time and only required a final signature from the minister involved. Other pressures brought to bear politically resulted in this final signature not being achieved.
As a result an alternative parking strategy was developed by the DHB that involved a combination of a 200 park and ride, a new 450 parking building on the old diabetes site and the addition of two floors on the existing multi story car park. This and the capital to support this was approved in 2020.