The NDP said Wednesday it would cancel plans to build a community outpatient centre in Bayers Lake if the party forms government following the May 30 election.

Ten days before the election was called, Liberal Premier Stephen McNeil announced the purchase of $7.5 million of private land to build a facility whose services would include blood collection, diagnostic imaging, medical and surgical clinics along with pre- and post-operative care.

The site was criticized for having poor public transit access and it was noted the owner of the land is a Liberal donor. McNeil has said the donations had no influence over the choice of land.

On Wednesday, the Liberal leader defended the purchase.

"I'm very proud of the fact it's worked out. The fact of the matter is, it's the right place and the [Halifax Infirmary] site will be the right place for an outpatient's clinic for those that live on the peninsula," he said.

NDP Leader Gary Burrill said the within 30 days of taking office, his party would implement a public site selection process to find a piece of publicly owned, serviced land that was near good public transit and a 100-series highway, and could integrate with other community facilities.

Reselling land is an option

The existing Bayers Lake land purchase is a done deal, one the government can't get out of, said Burrill.

"There's no clause we're aware of under which the sale can be negated," he said.

For that reason, the NDP would look to see if the property could be used for another purpose or resold.

The services offered at the new outpatient centre would replace the ones that will be lost when the aging Centennial and Victoria General hospital buildings in south-end Halifax are vacated as part of the redevelopment of the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

The future site of the community outpatient centre on Susie Lake Crescent in the Bayers Lake Business Park. (CBC)

Burrill also said the government should commit to keeping ownership of any new health infrastructure in public hands.

Earlier this year, the province issued a tender looking for outside help to evaluate the true cost of the QEII redevelopment, and to determine if it makes sense to partner with private industry.

​Burrill said Nova Scotia has been ill-served by past public-private partnership deals involving highways and schools.

"It produces the illusion of some short-term savings. It gets you in the neck over the medium and long term," he said.

McNeil stands by Bayers Lake

McNeil said the Liberal government considered 15 different sites for the outpatient clinic.

Of those 15 sites, McNeil said the Bayers Lake site "had the right size, had the right access to and from all the services coming into it, at the right price."

McNeil said the services that will be offered at the Bayers Lake outpatient clinic will be offered at the Halifax Infirmary.

"What we know is that six per cent of the people who actually go downtown live actually outside of HRM ... Instead of forcing them to go down on the peninsula, they'll be able to receive those services out in the Clayton Park-Timberlea area," said McNeil.

"Let's do it out where they actually live and where others are coming in from rural communities actually come to."