An unusual twist – it is normally the public petitioning the council.
Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner created the change.org petition – which has received over 1,600 signatures – to lobby the family-run operator following a recent fire at the former Salvin Park aged care home at Carina Heights, 8km south-east of the CBD.
The family-run operator bought the abandoned aged care facility site from Blue Care in 2014. In September 2016, they announced they would build a 191-unit retirement village and 173-bed aged care facility on the site, but the old nursing home has remained in place.
It states: “The local community has patiently waited long-enough! We demand immediate action from TriCare to ensure that this derelict facility is demolished and cleaned-up ASAP, without further delay.”
Fairfax Media reports there has been at least three fires in the last year with the latest incident being treated as arson.
The petition prompted TriCare to issue a statement to Cr Schrinner, promising that all temporary fencing around the site would be “rectified to a secure working order” including a weekly check; the frequency of security patrols increased for both day and night; and “demolition of the site as soon as practical”.
