Hammond Care the owners of Greenwich Hospital have lodged a concept proposal for the redevelopment of Greenwich Hospital, incorporating new health care and allied health facilities, residential aged care and seniors housing in an integrated care campus with the NSW Department of Planning. The concept provides for replacement of out-dated health and hospital facilities together with a residential aged care village and new independent living units.
Background
Greenwich Hospital has operated from the River Road site since 1966. The hospital is run by Hammond Care and provides rehabilitation, palliative and supportive care, mental health care for older people, pain management, and other vital support services. Hammond Care proposes to redevelop Greenwich Hospital. Hammond Care wants the Greenwich redevelopment to be similar to the campus development at their Miranda facility.
Hammond Care have stated:
Greenwich Hospital has provided essential sub-acute health services, including rehabilitation, palliative care and older persons’ mental health support for many years. The hospital maintains strong connections with NSW Health through the Local Health District and Royal North Shore Hospital. While the standard of care is widely recognised as excellent, the building fabric of the hospital has now reached the end of its useful life. Refurbishment has been undertaken on several areas in the past but this is no longer suitable for best practice service delivery. The redeveloped campus will provide a wider range of services to inpatients and outpatients. It will also bring together key elements of Hammond Care’s core services on the one site with access to support close by. It is proposed to stage the development works to ensure that ongoing hospital activities are not interrupted. It is intended to continue the use of Pallister House for administration purposes. No demolition, alterations or additions are proposed for Pallister House.
The Concept Plans
The Environmental Impact Statement submitted with the proposal provides fo:
- Hospital expansion to the existing 50 place hospital care facility with inpatient/outpatient support services;
- 80 Seniors Living units (apartments) associated with Hospital style campus;
- 9 Seniors Living units (villas);
- Retention of Pallister House;
- On-site parking.
The proposal can be viewed on the Department of Planning’s website or in hard copy at Lane Council’s Civic Centre and Greenwich Library. The Department of Planning’s exhibition close date is 15 March 2019. At the Lane Cove Council February Meeting it was resolved to request the four week notification period be extended to allow the community and Lane Cove Council additional time to review the proposal and provide a considered submission.
Until this extension has been confirmed the Department of Planning’s exhibition close date remains 15 March 2019.
Local Residents are Concerned
- The current application includes a 9 storey hospital, additional parking, senior living villas and 2 x 7 storey blocks for independent seniors living. These are not hospital related but will be privately owned. Independent Living Units will be residential high rise which will mean less space to expand the hospital in the future.
- The site is zoned SP2 which is designated infrastructure – health services, by the LCC therefore residential high rise should not be included.
- All the surrounding area is zoned R1 which has a height restriction of 9.5m. This is a huge development and will tower over the communities of Greenwich and Northwood.
- The development is opposite Greenwich Public School which raises safety concerns for children during the redevelopment (traffic movement, dust and noise).
- The plans will result in overshadowing of the Bob Campbell Oval.
- The redevelopment has the potential to damage the bushland corridor which volunteers and Lane Cove Council have been working hard to regenerate and requires the removal of 50 established trees.
- This development not only impacts the immediate surrounding residents, but additionally, poses concerns to all members of the Lane Cove community with potential for major traffic congestion and hazards on River Road. This section of River Road is notorious for accidents (see ITC list of top 10 accident spots in Lane Cove).
- The Traffic and Parking Impact Assessment Report Executive Summary states that “Taking into account the estimated traffic generation from the proposed development, existing traffic flow conditions and speed environment along River Road, it is considered that the expected increase in traffic generated would have a minimal impact on the safety and operating efficiency to the road frontage. There would be no nexus or warrant to upgrade River Road as a result of any additional traffic generated by the development. The Traffic and Parking Impact Assessment concludes that the subject site is suitable for the propose intensification of use of the site in relation to the impact of traffic, vehicle access, parking and safety considerations. The development is considered to have negligible effect on the safety and operating outcome of the surrounding transport network.”
Is More Senior Housing/Independent Living Units Needed?
Property Council of Australia’s executive director of retirement living, Ben Myers, said tin November 2018:
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