Monday 9 November

New Grey health facilities one step closer

Fletcher Construction will be in Greymouth this week engaging with local contractors, suppliers and the DHB as part of the pre-construction phase for the new Grey Base Hospital and Integrated Family Health Centre.

In May last year, the Government committed to a new Grey Hospital and Integrated Family Health Centre. The new facility will incorporate primary care services, including community pharmacy and general practice, alongside hospital services.

Fletcher Construction is providing expert construction advice to designers as they complete the project design. They are also talking to local tradespeople about work that might be able to be sub-contracted out.

West Coast District Health Board Chief Executive David Meates says the advantages of using local trades include cost-effectiveness and reliability, and the fact that locals know the area well and have a vested interest in doing a great job as potential future users of the facilities.

In addition to the appointment of Fletcher Construction to provide expert advice through the pre-construction period, good progress is being made on a number of other fronts. Consent applications for foundations have been lodged with the Grey District Council. Site preparations may begin before Christmas, with groundworks expected to commence in January. In addition, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment [MBIE] have confirmed that the new hospital and IFHC buildings will be seismically separate facilities, designed to provide the resilience necessary to support a post-disaster response.

Clinicians continue to lead the design process, and are working with architects, facility planners and project managers to ensure that the design will meet the needs of West Coasters well into the future.

Construction is expected to commence in early 2016 and the DHB anticipates the building being completed during 2017.

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