Save The Plains: Why a new hospital on undeveloped land would actually be a good thing

John Bostock (left), Richard Gaddum and Mike Donnelly test the soils at a site suggested for a new hospital. Photo / Warren Buckland

OPINION

Hawke’s Bay Today announced on June 9 that a group independent of Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand is proposing a greenfield site for a new Hawke’s Bay Hospital, to replace the existing Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, presently placed on the 12-hectare site surrounded by Ōmahu Rd, Canning Rd, Orchard Rd and McLeod St.

This new proposed greenfield site is on the corner of York Rd and the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, and backs on to the large expanding industrial site between Maraekakaho Rd and the Expressway.

The Save The Plains group has met with the proponent of this greenfields hospital proposal, Dan Druzianic, to discuss it, view the business proposition and of course view the site.

We as a group are passionate about the protection of the fertile soils on the Heretaunga Plains. We have been lobbying our Hawke’s Bay councils for approximately four years to prevent the ever-increasing urban and industrial sprawl over some of the best soils in the world.

We have had some success but legislation brought in last year enhanced this protection.

When we heard the dreaded “greenfield development” words being used for a new hospital site, it was really pleasing to see the proposed land suggested would be placed on “poor soils”.

These are a mixture of stony gravels, sandy loam on gravel and clay loam on silt loam - some of the poorest soils on the Heretaunga Plains.

The foundations of a serious regional hospital needs to be on firm ground. It was interesting to note that the proposed site is said to be on land with “no liquefaction”.

This is such a wonderful feature of this site and very rare on the Heretaunga Plains. So from a structure stability perspective, this is such an important aspect for the longevity of a hospital.

Other real advantages to the positioning of this site are:

1. Its locality to the Expressway. As this proposed hospital bounds this main ulterior route that connects Napier to the north and Hastings to the south, it is ideally positioned to link the people of Hawke’s Bay to this important main public health facility. It is at a midway point to Central Hawke’s Bay which has no hospital, so well positioned.

2. The proposed site being talked about is safe from a tsunami.

3. If this proposal gets the green light, once all the existing structures are removed from the present Hawke’s Bay Hospital 12ha site, it is believed that this will make room for up to 500 new medium density homes. By utilising this largely paved site in an existing residential area within the confines of the city limits, this takes pressure off fertile soils for greenfield residential development.

Considering all of the above, the Save The Plains group would like to support this wonderful initiative of a new regional hospital to be built on this site.

It ticks all the boxes from our perspective, conditional that the new hospital structures are built on nonproductive land (or poor soils) as indicated in the proposed plan.

We hope those responsible at Te Whatu Ora for developing a business case, seriously consider this site and it is accepted by the overall decisionmakers.

- This Talking Point was produced by Richard Gaddum, John Bostock, Paul Paynter and Michael Donnelly on behalf of the Save Our Fertile Soils Society Incorporated, a lobby group that aims to preserve prime Heretaunga Plains growing land from development.