Royal Freemasons Benevolent Institution sympathetic to heritage concerns

Following the rejection of its development application in February, operator RFBI of Bathurst’s Cheriton Retirement Village have approached council with a revised proposal that they hope meets the needs of all parties. To secure safe access to the village for residents, expansion of the inner city facility had originally involved removing a rundown building in the adjoining Heritage Conservation Area. An amended DA now retains this property and should allow for the $2.5m project to proceed; building a new courtyard, terrace, craft room, men’s shed and 15 extra bedrooms. The result is a good example of how operators, developers and authorities can work toward a positive outcome.