Key points
The new Northside Hospital is a critical piece of infrastructure for Canberra’s growing population, and we welcome the government’s commitment to maintaining it as a priority project.While funding for the project is being staged over the next seven years, future budgets must ensure funding is profiled appropriately to support completion by 2031, consistent with the timeline outlined in the Territory Priority Project application released last year.Parking availability and illegal parking are issues regularly raised with the BCC. As construction progresses, the government needs to seriously consider both short- and long-term solutions to minimise impacts on staff, patients, visitors and surrounding residents. Improving public transport access must form part of that solution, providing more people with a practical alternative to driving where possible.Further information
The planning authority has acknowledged that a parking shortfall already appears to exist in the area.
The development application for the project’s early works proposes the temporary removal of up to 18% of existing parking spaces during construction. While we recognise this is part of delivering a major public infrastructure project, it will place additional pressure on hospital users and nearby residential streets.
The BCC recognises the challenge of balancing the timely delivery of this important project with managing its impacts on the surrounding community.
Last week, we wrote to the Health Minister encouraging the government to work across portfolios to improve public transport access to the hospital precinct during both construction and operation. Better public transport will not eliminate parking demand, but it can reduce pressure on already constrained parking supply and provide a genuine alternative for more staff, patients and visitors.
One option we believe warrants consideration is strengthening the 901 Bruce Shuttle. The service already provides an important connection, but its frequency and operating hours limit its usefulness for many hospital users. We also believe a stop at CIT Bruce on Haydon Drive would improve connections with Rapid services and could reduce overall journey times for some passengers.
The ACT Government has a commitment for the Belconnen Bus Transitway along Haydon Drive to be completed by 2028. We would like to better understand how planning for the transitway and the new hospital is being coordinated to minimise disruption during construction and ensure the best possible public transport outcome for the precinct in the long term.
The new Northside Hospital will serve Canberra for decades to come. As planning and construction progress, we will continue advocating for improvements to transport and parking access to help maximise the benefits of this significant investment for patients, staff, visitors and the wider community.