North shore council slammed for selling off green space for seniors apartments

Seniors housing will be built on sporting fields in Sydney’s north shore under a controversial land deal that has angered residents.

Aged care provider Pathways will build seniors housing in Lane Cove even though it was subject to an adverse report by the aged care regulator that found it did not provide safe and effective care to all of its clients.

A long-term lease of green space at 266 Longueville Road,Lane Cove has been sold to a developer to build apartments for seniors.

A long-term lease of green space at 266 Longueville Road,Lane Cove has been sold to a developer to build apartments for seniors.Edwina Pickles

Lane Cove Council granted a 99-year lease to Australian Unity for $32 million to build a seniors living village after rezoning of a public recreation site at Longueville Road in Lane Cove.

A dispute arose over the conditions of the lease,which was resolved when the councilpermitted Australian Unity to assign the lease to Pathways,which is building a facility 80 metres away.

Pathways has indicated it will modify plans to replace the residential aged care component at the Longueville Road site with seniors apartments.

Pathways managing director Graeme Skerritt said the company took over the lease to create a “vibrant seniors community” and was not building residential apartments.

“The development will be 100 per cent seniors,” he said. “That is a condition of the current development consent and it is our intention to maintain this.”

The land deal has provoked opposition from some residents who say Lane Cove has a greater need for recreation facilities and sporting facilities than seniors housing.

A spokeswoman for community group SOS Lane Cove,Adrienne Cahalan,said existing playing fields and open space were increasingly crowded.

“Lane Cove has already exceeded its housing targets,which is more reason not to concrete over open space,” she said.

Lane Cove Labor mayor Andrew Zbik said there was an ongoing demand for seniors housing on Sydney’s north shore,including from residents seeking to downsize but remain in the area.

“There is no rationale for building a grossly non-compliant and redundant seniors development with devastating impact to the amenity of the area.”

Say No to 266,local community group

There is currently approval for 82 apartments and 70 residential aged care beds on the site,which would be restricted to seniors or people with disability under the seniors housing planning policy.

The policy has attractedcriticism from Sydney mayors for allowing developments that breach local planning rules.

Zbik said the $32 million paid for the lease “may be used” to build an indoor sports centre at Lane Cove Golf Club,which has also attracted the ire of some residents,“or other such infrastructure as determined by council”.

Pathways operates aged care residences at Killara,Northbridge and Cronulla and is building another facility at Longueville that will include residential aged care,a seniors wellness business and retail precinct.

However,concerns were raised about standards at a Pathways facility at Roseville in a2021 assessment report by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission,which found that not all residents received care that was “safe,effective,best practice,tailored to their needs and optimises their health and wellbeing”.

The report found psychotropic medication was prescribed at Pathways Ashley House without a proper diagnosis and raised questions about pain management and wound care – although it noted that additional training had been introduced to address these issues.

The report said that personal care was lacking with residents “often not receiving daily showers or receiving assistance with wearing clean clothing”.

Skerritt said the facility had been closed “due to viability issues currently experienced across the aged care sector” before the regulator assessed the company’s response to its assessment report. “Pathways has a history of providing quality care so we don’t believe there is cause for concern.”

Zbik said councillors were aware of the assessment report and external advisors had assessed the suitability of Pathways to operate a seniors living facility.

Anonline petition organised by another community group,Say No to 266,calls on the council to rescind the land deal and rezone back to recreational land.

“There is no rationale for building a grossly non-compliant and redundant seniors development with devastating impact to the amenity of the area and the surrounding residents on scarce recreational land,” the petition said.

Zbik said the council had created a number of new parks in the past decade,with more open space proposed as part of the redevelopment of St Leonards South.

“A new public playground is to be located at the front of the site on Longueville Road,and a new public pathway to provide access to the bushland at the rear will be provided and paid for by the development,” he said.

Andrew Taylor is a Senior Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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