NAMBUCCA Shire Council likes to think long term – that’s why they built the Bowraville Dam. And it’s that mindset which has convinced the councillors as one to ask authorities for a double-take on the new Macksville Hospital.
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Local residents were delighted when $50 million in funding was announced for a redevelopment of the existing ageing facility, but a string of ‘game changers’ since then has convinced council that an approach different to redevelopment might be preferred.
To that end they will put a submission to NSW Health asking for a cost-benefit analysis on a redevelopment versus a ‘greenfield’ construct (a brand new hospital).
The alternative site is the State Government-owned land off Old Coast Rd at North Macksville, currently occupied by the concrete batching plant for the new highway, but they are due to vacate that location in mid-2017.
Mayor Rhonda Hoban said redeveloping the old hospital had a number of challenges: the build would have to take place while keeping the facility ‘open’, and that there was no room on the existing site for any future expansion. Another factor was that the old hospital sits high on a hill, making access difficult for the aged and those with hindered mobility.
A fresh build on the North Macksville site, she said, would have several pluses: the land is level, and has scope for future expansion. It could be easily accessed after Macksville successfully lobbied for a second ramp – on the northern side of the river – from the new highway. Crucially, a ‘from scratch’ build would enable the health service to build precisely the type of centre it wants – rather than have to ‘work around’ the existing hospital infrastructure.
Cr Hoban believed there would be no significant financial difference between a redevelopment and a fresh build, and the health district has indicated it is open-minded on the possibility.
“A new build would mean it could be designed exactly to meet the needs of the professional hospital staff and the community,” Cr Hoban told the Guardian.
She said councils were asked to think long term and consider the cumulative effects of their decisions – and a new hospital could well be a sounder strategy for ‘future-proofing’ the health needs of Macksville and the Nambucca Valley.
“We need to get the best possible value from that $50 million for both the State and the community,” Cr Hoban said.
