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COUNCIL will call on the aged care sector to submit ideas to develop specialised accommodation on a parcel of land next to the now under construction Salvation Army’s Kubirri Aged Care Centre.

Douglas Shire Council today resolved to release an Expression of Interest for further aged care accommodation development at the Johnston Road site in Mossman.

The EOI, to be drafted and released early next year, will ask the market to propose various aged care business models and gauge how they could work at the site.

An approved masterplan has earmarked facilities such as 2-3 bedroom homes, an activities building, assisted living rooms, community wellness centre, studio apartments and a community garden for the neighbouring parcel of land.

Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu said the development of the adjacent land presents a significant economic opportunity for the region.

“We expect this expression of interest to get strong feedback from the market,” she said.

“With construction on the Kubirri Aged Care Centre powering ahead, we can now open up that neighbouring land for further development, encourage more investment and create more jobs in Douglas Shire.”

Salvation Army started construction on the Kubirri Aged Care Centre in May this year.

Council anticipates a range of accommodation types including independent living and assisted living to complement the 42-bed aged care facility under construction.

The Expression of Interest will be designed in line with Council’s vision for the land and in consultation with the Mossman District Nursing Home Committee.

A development lease between Council and The Salvation Army was entered into in August 2016 for the Aged Care Facility on Council land.

Council has invested significantly in the project including funding a business case, securing more than $500,000 funding for enabling infrastructure and waiving about $250,000 worth of infrastructure fees.

This helped on-site upgrades including construction of a new intersection with turning lane, a new road into the facility, footpaths, drainage, water and sewer connections and a new substation.

Mayor Leu said the development would provide a social benefit to the broader community.

“Residents will have the ability to remain in Douglas Shire close to their nearest and dearest, rather than leaving the area to find aged care accommodation,” she said.

Objectives of the Expression of Interest

  1. Identify interest by the sector to develop the land for aged care accommodation.
  2. Identify the type of care to be provided and to understand trends in the aged care sector.
  3. Consider various operational / business models and how they could be applied to the site, provided they align with the objective of creating and maintaining aged care accommodation for the long term.
  4. Understand what the market may be able to offer and changes that may need to be entertained with respect to built form and yield of product; and
  5. Enabling the market to better understand:
  • The vision of Council to develop the land for aged care accommodation and ensure that the product delivered achieves this intent.
  • Articulating the expectation that service providers deliver the service as a holistic development (i.e is not a small lot subdivision and once on-sold there is no further attachments to the land).
  • Tenure considerations. Council is not supportive of any transfer of land until the development is completed and delivered. To this end, the development maybe undertaken as a staged development.
View full Council report here
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