A proposal for a new high-rise retirement village and aged care facility in inner-Sydney has cleared a major planning hurdle.
In early March 2020, Catholic Healthcare was successful in obtaining a site-specific rezoning to allow seniors housing to be proposed at a 12 hectare site at Lewisham, in Sydney’s inner west.
Catholic Healthcare was able to utilise a Statewide planning instrument, which allows seniors housing projects to be able to obtain rezonings if supported by a planning panel including NSW Government and local council nominees.
Catholic Healthcare is proposing 135 retirement village independent living units, along with 144 residential aged care beds, in buildings up to twelve storeys in height. The tallest building will be set alongside the main Western railway line which runs alongside the site.
The site currently contains low-scale aged care facilities.
In its application, Catholic Healthcare said the proposal would meet strong and rising demand for additional seniors housing and aged care services in Sydney’s inner west.
In issuing the zoning certificate - known as a site compatibility certificate - the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel said: “Given the site’s unique characteristics and its long history of use for residential aged care, and its proximity to parkland, transport and services, on a merits assessment it is an appropriate site for residential aged care and independent living units.”
Approval of a development application is still required, before construction can begin.
Catholic Healthcare had amended an earlier proposal, which had been criticised by planning authorities as being “excessive”, by reducing the number of independent living units and the heights of some buildings.
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