Politics
Safety is Our Primary Concern
Yesterday we reported that the DHSC had issued Braddan Commissioners a letter saying it would restrict access within 28 days
The DHSC says the safety of people using the hospital site and the smooth operation of the hospital is the department’s primary concern.
This comes as it confirms it will not allowed vehicular access to Braddan Commissioners’ Roundhouse site from March 4 onwards.
Yesterday we reported that the DHSC had issued Braddan Commissioners a letter saying it would restrict access within 28 days.
A spokesperson for the department said the DHSC is ‘is very clearly still supportive of the project, but will not compromise on the safety of service users and access for emergency service’.
They added: ‘In 2016 planning permission was originally granted which included access to the site via the existing private roads. Several years have passed, and in early 2022 it was flagged by the Department that access via that route would no longer be suitable due to the increased traffic.
‘In 2023 a new planning application for a dedicated access road was submitted and approved in May. We have since worked constructively with the commissioners and prioritised the conveying of land from the department to the commissioners – at less than market value – for the construction of a dedicated road.
‘In late 2023 the commissioners informed the department that they did not intend to proceed with this dedicated access due to financial constraints. They proposed some safety measures to try and address the concerns raised about using the existing roads. These measures were reviewed and were not considered rigorous enough to provide proper safeguards or alleviate issues.’
