Deputies back 'renege' claims

THE Board of Health has denied reneging on promises to Princess Elizabeth Hospital neighbours. Oberlands residents said that former board president Brian Russell assured them that the field at La Corbinerie would not be developed.

But current president Peter Roffey said that the only promise made at the time was not about the plans.

'I've gone through the minutes and notes of the public meetings and I couldn't find a promise the site would not be developed in the future.'

He said that his predecessors on the board had no power to say the site would never be developed.

'We made promises as deputies and I, for one, will not be going back on that,' said St Martin's deputy Janine Le Sauvage, who supports the residents' claims.

There are plans to create 229 car spaces to alleviate the hospital's parking problems.

'When the board wanted to relocate special care units at the Oberlands, the residents were very concerned about the development in the field with very mature trees,' said Deputy Le Sauvage.

Deputies had met residents and management on site and agreed on a scheme to save trees and also for further

planting.

'A small field in the back was sacrosanct, not to be touched, and everybody agreed that,' she said.

She was assured, as a member of IDC at the time, that the development would have sufficient dedicated parking, a question she asked 'several times'.

Deputy Le Sauvage supports Deputy Roy Bisson's suggestion to add another level to the main car park. She also warned of overdevelopment at the PEH.

'There are too many services trying to be on one site and that's ridiculous.'

The IDC objects to the proposal, which is subject to a States debate today.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said the board rejected a proposal for a unit on the same field earlier, saying that looking over green fields could be beneficial to patients.

'Has some recent medical research found out that looking out at 229 cars is a better way of helping the healing process?' he asked.

'Do patients really want to look out of their windows and on one side see a building currently housing States Customs with people peering out of windows at them and on the other side overlook a car park?'

Another resident, Jane Blad-Westcott, described traffic in the Oberlands as 'appalling'.

'Parking is needed and parking nearly always wins, but there are a good number of people who could share cars or be bussed in,' she said.

She was concerned about increased pollution.

St Martin's deputy Bill Bell has also spoken out for the residents.

'They believe they had that undertaking and that seems now not to be the case. I think they are concerned and I'm concerned on their behalf.'

He said a solution needed to be found that was 'practical and economical'.

The board wants the car park because of new building at the hospital. It has rejected an IDC suggestion to look at multi-storey options instead.

'There were no existing plans at the time. We'd rather not put a car park on the field if we could possibly help it, but the world has moved on in the intervening five years,' said Deputy Roffey.