Planned Halifax Infirmary parkade to impact paddock at horse riding school

Nova Scotia's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal issued a tender Tuesday for the construction of a new parking garage as part of the QEII hospital redevelopment project.

The parkade will have up to 900 spaces andwill be built south ofthe Museum of Natural History on Summer Street. The parking garagewill replace the hospital's Robie Street parkade.

The tender documents also indicate a new power plant for the Halifax Infirmary will be constructed on the other side of the museum at the corner of Summer Street and Bell Road.

Halifax Coun.Waye Mason has raised concerns about the project's impact on the HalifaxCommon.

However, provincial officialsinsist only a small portion of land owned by the cityapproximately 0.20 hectaresis needed and won'tbe built on recreational space,the province said in a news release.

Drawings included in the tender show a sliver of land currently used as paddocks for horses by the Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers.

Angie Holt, executive director and head coach, said she's concerned the paddock will be affected.

"It looks like it's reducing our size [and]adding an odd shape to our ring that is not necessarily going to be usable," Holt said, addingthe paddock must be a certain size and shape to exercise the horses, teach riding lessons and perform certain shows.

Holt said the Lancers weren't consulted about the tender, but she's willing to meet with the province to discuss how to properly reconfigure the paddock if necessary.

The company that is awarded the project will be required to minimize the impact to the Halifax Wanderers stadium andconsult with the groups using the adjacent land.

The province said there has been ongoing discussions with the municipality since April 2019 and the matter will soon be referred to Halifax regional council.

Mason suggested the hospital's parking needs could be accommodated by building a parking facility that would be part of the hospital expansion on the former Queen Elizabeth High School land.

The province said there will be underground parking at the new inpatient cancer centre, but they saya parking study concluded a total of 2,700spaces are required. Once the expansion of the infirmary site is completed, the Centennial and Victoria buildings at the Victoria General site will be closed.

Every day, 14,000 people visit the QEII Health Sciences Centre, with 40 per cent of people travelling from outside the municipality.

The tender closes on March 5.The Transportation Department expectsparkade construction to begin this spring and be completed by March 2021.

MORE TOP STORIES