Batlow MPS land negotations break down. Negotiations stall over MPS site.

An eleventh hour breakdown in negotiations over the transfer of railway land for the site of the new Batlow Multi Purpose health Service (MPS) has led to fears it could delay the project by many months.

The land which has long been the preferred site for a greenfields new MPS as a replacement for the old Batlow hospital - the site of the old goods yard in Batlow, (opposite the Batlow Technology School) has a section of railway line running through the middle.

The Department of Health and the local MPS committee had been expecting negotiations for that land, taking in a section from Pioneer Street to Mill Road, to be completed by now in anticipation of preliminary works as early as September or October;

But Tumut Shire general manager Chris Adams said yesterday whilst it had been expected the land transfer to the health department would be handled by way of a land swap the way similar projects have been facilitated in the past, - the government entity now in con-

trol of the railway land ownership had apparently baulked at the last minute.

He said although there had been previous indications that the line would need to remain open "on paper", it had been indicated that could be achieved simply by moving the "paper" line very close to the roadway.

"We now hear that the department involved is saying the line can't be moved, but that would mean the site would be unsuitable for the MPS as planned there.

"You can't have a railway line running through the middle of an MPS complex.

"In theory the line runs all the way to the Co-Op, but it will never be used for that purpose.

"What we can't fathom is how things have progressed to this late stage before the impasse has arisen.

"The Council will be making urgent representations to the government through local member Katrina Hodgkinson to have the situation resolved as a matter of the utmost urgency," said Mr Adams.

Government funding for the MPS has been approved, to the tune of around $11 million.

The original 24-bed plan proposed four acute beds, one palliative care bed, eight high care places, ten low care places and one respite care place.

The Federal Government is funding the running costs of the 19 aged care beds once the State Government has built the facility.

Other services in the plan include two bedrooms for staff accommodation, two beds in accident and emergency, telehealth facilities and a model of local management of MPS community health staff.

The MPS site will contain the Batlow Ambulance and the plan also proposes continued investigation of options to improve the integration of community based services

The project has been delayed on a number of occasions since funding was originally announced in March2000 by the then Minister for Health Craig Knowles.

But the government has since come to the party, with the $11 million budget apparently including $1 million for contingencies.

Having got this far after waiting so long there would be outrage if bureaucratic red tape as part of negotiations for land which one could never see running a train again were to further stall the project.

June 2, 2006

Tumut & Adelong Times