The eight residents remaining at the Not For Profit aged care provider have been offered “numerous suitable alternative accommodation options” including moving to the nearby Bangalow home.

“Feros Care has continued to provide support to the remaining residents over six months now since the announcement of the closure,” the provider said. 

Feros Care plans to build a multi-million-dollar, state-of-the-art seniors accommodation on the site, delivering much needed new and affordable seniors’ homes for the Byron Bay community.

The provider told The SOURCE the Byron Bay Shire’s proposal to find a new operator through an EOI process is “substantially flawed”. 

“Neither Council nor the State Government have considered the implications of the EOI for the mandatory obligations faced by aged care providers under the Aged Care Act and associated regulatory framework.

“This includes the ageing-in-place provisions - which cannot be met at Feros Village Byron Bay due to design limitations. These legislated obligations will not change regardless of who the provider is,” Feros Care said. 

“An EOI conducted in conflict with non-negotiable requirements of the Aged Care Act presents risks to its sponsors, participants and the clinical care of residents. 

“That is why we believe the best approach is to allow Feros Care and Crown Lands to finalise negotiations that have been ongoing over lease arrangements, that will provide the Byron Bay community with a guaranteed solution for the affordable housing crisis for seniors.”  

The SOURCE: Aged care providers’ security of tenure requirements mean it’s very difficult to force residents out.