More details: Premier announces new hospital site in Bundy

She said more than 40 sites were canvased in the lead up to the decision.

BUNDABERG'S new hospital is one step closer with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announcing the preferred site for the facility.

The 60ha block is located on the Bundaberg Ring Rd near Kay McDuff Drive.

It is also within 5km of the Bundaberg CBD and is close to the airport.

The announcement comes just over 12 months since the premier announced a commitment to a detailed business case for the new hospital.

The premier said the project would bring many jobs and a fresh start to Bundaberg.

"The last time I was here, we talked about doing an investigation into a site for a brand new Bundaberg Hospital," she said.

"The business case which will come to government in 2021 will determine the exact size and shape the hospital will take."

 

 

The premier said more than 40 sites were canvased in the lead up to the announcement.

"This is the best site, it is a huge piece of land, it is flood proof and it'll serve the growing community of Bundaberg and Wide Bay for many years to come," she said.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Board Chair Peta Jamieson said they were thrilled with the commitment.

"Two years ago the government made the commitment for the preliminary business case, 12 months ago they came and made the commitment for the detailed business case and here we are today having this announcement for the preferred site," she said.

 

 

"We know the Bundaberg Hospital had reached its stage of needing to be looked at, we were of course impacted by the flood, it's a small parcel of land so allows no room for development and at the end of the day we need to make sure we are catering for the future growth of our population.

"By 2032 we'll have 50 per cent of our population that's over the age of 65, so that cohort of our population is so crucial we need to make sure we're providing the care close to home."

Ms Jamieson said the business case was now in the process of moving into the design phase.

"It must meet those contemporary standards with the key stakeholders alongside such as the council who will now look at things like road access, other infrastructure issues and cultural heritage."

 

 

Bundaberg's labor candidate Tom Smith said the announcement was great news for the community.

"This investment shows the Palaszczuk Labor Government's commitment to building new hospitals, especially in the regions, and investing in more jobs for our locals to keep Queenslanders working as we recover from the impacts of COVID-19," he said.

"And this hospital is a fresh new start for our community; it will service the growing population of Bundy for many years to come"

Member for Bundaberg David Batt said while he welcomed the announcement and was glad to see the hospital progressing, he was concerned about the site chosen.

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"The Premier said this site off Kay McDuff Drive is the 'best' site out of more than 40 that were put forward, but I cannot agree," he said.

"This site is in an industrial precinct heavily frequented by B-double trucks, right on the edge of town with the airport on one side and a gun club and bus depot on the other.

"This site may be the 'best' state government owned option, but it's certainly not the best location in Bundaberg.

"Our current hospital has served our region for more than 100 years and the new hospital will do the same, so we need to get its location right from the beginning.

"I will be reaching out to our community to seek their views on this hospital site and will be very interested to hear everyone's thoughts."

 

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