Uniting is seeking permission for buildings up to 21 metres high as part of its $340 million redevelopment of the War Memorial Hospital in Waverley, despite opposition from local councillors and existing aged care residents.
The project – currently featuring lower buildings and floor space ratio, after its original plans were knocked back as overdevelopment – is planned to include retirement living as well as residential aged care, plus a seniors’ gym; heritage buildings will also be preserved.
The provider is facing stiff opposition, however, with Waverley Greens Councillor Elaine Keenan telling the Sydney Morning Herald that the redevelopment involves relocating frail older residents, bulldozing 150-year-old fig trees, and blocking resident views of the historic Edina mansion on the site.
In a statement to the Herald, a Uniting spokesperson said that, after residential aged care at the site was closed, residents were relocated to other Uniting sites close by or placed with other providers, with independent living residents to stay at the site for “some time”.
The spokesperson also said that no new residents had been engaged under the Retirement Villages Act since the revamp was announced four years ago, with all new rental tenants being clearly informed of Uniting’s intention to redevelop.
The site is already home to a public hospital run by Uniting.
