THE planning inquiry into the new hospital has been put back a week following concerns about its timing in relation to the approval of the Bridging Island Plan.
Future Hospital Review Panel chairwoman Senator Kristina Moore wrote to Environment Minister John Young earlier this month to raise concerns about the timetable for the planning inquiry, which will consider the hospital application against the new Island Plan. The plan itself is due to be debated in mid-March.
Public sessions of the hospital planning inquiry were scheduled to begin on 27 March, which it was feared might have given the planning inspector only a few days to absorb any amendments to the Island Plan made by the States during the debate.
Deputy Young has now agreed that the inquiry should be held a week later. In a letter to Senator Moore, the minister wrote: ‘Having consulted with the inspector, I can confirm that I have asked [him] to consider delaying the inquiry by one week and, as a result, the inquiry will now take place on 4 April to 11 April 2022.
‘It should be noted that any further extension would present challenges as the timetable would stray into the Easter period.’
Deputy Young has also asked his officers to update the inquiry’s website to make clearer the policies that the inspector will use during the inquiry, and to investigate which of the lodged amendments would have an impact on the outcome of the planning application.
