Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald says it's too late to consider moving the site of the proposed Lower Hunter Hospital at Metford.
There's still no word on when construction of the $400 million facility will begin.
Cessnock City Council last week passed a motion to hold talks with the government in a bid to move the site to a location along the Hunter Expressway, believing a hospital built there would better serve the Hunter Valley, Cessnock and Maitland.
Maitland MP, Jenny Aitchison would not support the idea, saying there's npow quick access for coalfields residents to the John Hunter Hospital via the Hunter Expressway and the Metford site would better serve the valley as well as the Port Stephens and Dungog shires.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald says the government has already spent millions on acquiring the land and pre-construction planning, and there's no turning back now.
"We're certainly interested to hear why the council thinks it should be moved and we're certainly interested in what other ideas they might have. But it's very difficult once you acquire the site, once the plans are under way, the consultation with clinical staff has begun. So, there's a lot of planning work. We've already spent several millions of dollars," he said.
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| Scott McDonald |
