Wānaka hospital plans remain on track
The CEO of a ‘healthcare district’ planned for Wānaka’s Three Parks says he remains focused on delivering the hospital and health precinct despite missing out on the government’s ‘fast track’ process.
Roa CEO Mike Saegers said he was disappointed to see that no health infrastructure projects were included in the 149 to be listed in the Fast Track Approvals Bill, designed to speed up projects with regional or national significance.
Mike said the Roa hospital and health precinct is a “straightforward” consent application which was “never reliant on fast tracking to overcome a consenting hurdle, as is the case with some of those that have been listed”.
“We applied to potentially save time through a more efficient consenting process in order to open the doors to the new hospital faster,” he said.
“Roa remains completely focused on achieving an outcome for the Wānaka and Upper Clutha regions that delivers a much-needed hospital and health precinct irrespective of the pathway and timeline to do so.”
Read more: Roa plans $300M private hospital in Wānaka
In May this year Roa revealed plans for a $300M privately funded project comprising a five-level hospital with four operating theatres, imaging services, a 24-hour emergency department and more than 70 inpatient, emergency, and post anaesthetic care beds.
Roa said the hospital would be at the heart of a broader “health precinct” which would include four offices for allied medical services such as consulting and treatment rooms, on-site parking, and ground level retail and hospitality opening out onto public pedestrian spaces.
The government’s fast track approvals list, released on Sunday (October 6), included a high-speed electric passenger lift system linking the Cardrona Valley to the Soho ski area, a high density residential development for Mt Iron Junction, and the Bendigo/Ophir Mine.
Read more: Cardrona Valley ski gondola among fast-track consenting projects
