DA lodged for Bronte Loreto Aged Care

A development application has been submitted for a 24/7 aged care facility at a previously unoccupied building and former nursing home on Bronte Road.

The primary purpose of the development is to provide a combination of low, high and dementia care accommodation, at a cost of more than $27 million.

Liberal councillor on Waverley Council, Andrew Cusack, welcomed the application and described it as an important move for the area’s ageing population.

“We are absolutely delighted there will be another facility for our aged residents,” he said.

“The site has been vacant for 10 years and during that time caused great stress to its neighbours due to being overgrown and uncared for.”

A previous DA was submitted in 2003, but opposition arose over concerns that it was “not giving a thorough consideration to the needs of the people to be housed there and the type of facility they would need”. That application was subsequently withdrawn.

Councillor Miriam Guttman-Jones said the current DA has had several amendments and although she feels it is not perfect “it has taken into consideration the concerns of the residents”.

“Naturally there will be some that will say that they are not happy with it,” she said.

A neighbour to the development site, who is a member of the Bronte Beach Precinct Group and wished to remain anonymous, hit out at what he called a lack of consultation around the application. He also expressed concern about the height limit and potential for traffic disruption.

“They are basically introducing a facility that will operate 24/7 and if you look at other aged care facilities none are five to six stories high,” he said. “It will be out of context with the area and quite an imposition on the streetscape.”

Labor councillor Paula Masselos insisted the development is important for the area’s ageing population and said she was happy as long as it ensured people’s privacy.

Mr Cusack cautioned that “there will always be people that will complain about anything but this needs to be balanced against the needs of the greater community”.

“The applicants have been very consultative in their approach and have worked with council and the community to address the concerns that have arisen,” he said.