A NEW 100-bed aged care facility and 200 independent retirement living units have been approved in one of Ipswich’s fastest growing suburbs.
Bethany Christian Care has been granted approval to build the facility on a 14.47 acre site at 245-263 School Road at Redbank Plains, next to Staines Memorial College.
Bethany Christian Care plans to open the aged care facility and the first retirement units by 2021, with the remaining independent retirement living units to follow in stages over time.
The staging for the development is as follows:
- Stage 1: 100 bed nursing home, community hub, 38 retirement units, swimming pool, pickle ball court and playground;
- Stage 2: 24 retirement units;
- Stage 3: 32 retirement units;
- Stage 4: 16 retirement units;
- Stage 5: 25 retirement units;
- Stage 6: 65 retirement units.
Onsite resident services including a cafe/small grocery store, salon/barber and a well-being consultation room will also be included in the development.
Documents lodged with council as part of the application process note the development has been a “long-held vision” for Bethany Christian Care.
The organisation currently operates facilities at Eight Mile Plains, Manly West and Graceville.
It has strong connections with Staines Memorial College, which it plans to continue.
“The site was purchased by Bethany with a view to establish an aged care facility co-located with Staines Memorial College, a prep to year 12 school, to encourage intergenerational exchange between the students and the elderly residents and to meet the substantial need in this western corridor,” the application noted.
Market research commissioned by Bethany Christian Care in 2016 projected a substantial increase in coming years in the number of people aged over 65 years in the catchment.
It found that by 2026 there would be 12,000 more people in the development’s catchment aged over 65 years.
The market research also found:
- There are no existing and only one other planned aged care facility and retirement village in the Springfield-Redbank Plains-Ripley corridor, being the Aveo Springfield development;
- West Moreton Aged Care Planning Region is currently operating at a ratio of 60.8 which is significantly below the Australian Government’s 80.0 residential aged care places per 1,000 people over 70 years to be met by 2021-22;
- Even with the current identified pipeline stock coming online progressively to 2026, there is insufficient supply to meet demand within the catchment area.
As part of the approval, Bethany Christian Care must also upgrade School Road near the development site.
