New Infirmary site agreed
NHS DUMFRIES and Galloway have decided on a location for the new Dumfries Infirmary.
The new facility will be built on the western edge of the A75 at Garroch Roundabout (opposite the new Kilnford Farm Shop), following months of consultation with locals across the region.
Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Alex Fergusson said that any location would have been welcomed, but that Garroch is ideal.
He went on: “I am absolutely delighted that this site has been chosen as the preferred site for the new hospital, as it will maximise the ease of access for my constituents in the west of the region. While any of the final sites would have been an improvement on the current location of DGRI, the Garroch site is the one that will be of greater benefit to my constituents.
“I therefore congratulate the Board on coming to this decision, which is entirely in accordance to the outcome of the public consultation, and I look forward to any further developments of the new hospital as it progresses.”
SNP MSP for the South of Scotland Dr Aileen McLeod also welcomed the announcement.
She said: “I am delighted that NHS Dumfries and Galloway has decided on the Garroch as the preferred site for the new Royal Infirmary. I note that 55 percent of respondents to the NHS consultation favoured that site so I am pleased to see NHS Dumfries & Galloway is listening to public opinion
“I also think that the new location will be much more easily accessible since it is close to the A75, rather than requiring people coming from all directions to travel through Dumfries, as is currently the case.
“The move to a new location is about gaining the freedom to build a new hospital which doesn’t suffer from the constraints of the existing site. It can be designed to meet modern standards and possible future demands on capacity.
“However it may also have a beneficial impact on traffic problems in Dumfries by relieving some of the congestion of the south of the town. It will also be more easily accessible to people travelling long distances from the west of the region, who often at present have to sit in queues of traffic after their already lengthy trip to Dumfries.
“All in all, today is a very positive step forward for this major project, which is a substantial investment in the NHS in Dumfries & Galloway and a further indication of the Scottish Government’s commitment to the region.”
Dumfries and Galloway MP Russell Brown also praised the NHS for taking local views on board.
He said: “I am pleased that the NHS has listened to local people’s views in their consultation on the location. There is no doubt that by being closer to the A75 the new site is more accessible for more people. This is a big investment in our area and an opportunity to bring a real state of the art hospital to Dumfries and Galloway. We now need to see the detail of how the proposal will affect issues like traffic flow in Cargenbridge.”
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Weather for Newton Stewart
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 4 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 29 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North west
