‘Disappearing before our eyes’: Sydneysiders lose battle to stop seniors apartments

1 month ago 12

A $481 million plan to redevelop a sprawling block of hospital land in Sydney’s east into a multistorey seniors living and aged care hub has been given the green light, despite community objections over the scale and height of the proposal, loss of trees and the eviction of a long-running community men’s shed.

Following approval by the state government, buildings up to seven storeys are a step closer to being erected on the 103-year-old War Memorial Hospital site, which sits on a block between Carrington Road and Birrell Street in Waverley.

Peter Black and Peter Charlton, president of the Waverley Community Men’s Shed, which is facing eviction from its site to make way for a new aged care and seniors living development.

The redevelopment is the largest seniors housing project undertaken by site owner and aged care provider Uniting, which operates services including rehabilitation care from the site.

As part of the redevelopment, existing buildings on the 3.5 hectare block of land, including respite facilities and the Waverley Community Men’s Shed, will be demolished to make way for 231 seniors living apartments, a 105-bed aged care home, wellness facilities and a gym.

The development, which has been in the planning stages since 2017, is expected to take two years to complete. Heritage listed buildings will not be demolished, but will be repurposed into the new development for future uses.

In planning documents for the project, Uniting said the project would address growing demand for seniors housing to accommodate the ageing population in Sydney’s east, where the number of residents aged over 65 is expected to double by 2040.

The development proposal has been in the planning stages since 2017.

“Given the forecasted growth in the ageing population, additional aged care services and accommodation are considered to be required to meet such demand,” the company’s plans stated.

But the development has caused consternation among some nearby residents and community groups which have been lobbying against the development due to concerns over heritage, overshadowing and the removal of 95 trees.

Further objections have been raised by Waverley Council which, in a submission to the NSW Department of Planning, said the development could lead to “unacceptable” traffic impacts on the surrounding road network.

The approval is also weighing heavily on members of the men’s shed who have held their gatherings at the site for more than a decade.

The Edina Mansion on the Waverley War Memorial site is heritage listed and will be retained.

Men’s shed president Peter Charlton said, while members had been searching for an alternative site for the past six years, the shortage of available land in Sydney’s east has so far hampered the effort.

“The last thing we want is to be in a situation where we have to shut down – we’re one of the few men’s sheds in the eastern suburbs, and the men’s shed is a vital way of connecting the community,” he said. “Uniting has offered us the opportunity to return to the site as part of the second stage of the redevelopment but that could be six or seven years away.”

The Department of Planning, in approving the development, said the project would support the “changing needs” of the region’s ageing population and was located in an area that had “capacity to absorb” a high-density development.

“The development will not result in unreasonable traffic generation from the development, and the surrounding road network is capable of accommodating the proposed development with minimal delays and impacts,” approval documents said.

A concept image of the development, which is expected to take two years to build.

Uniting NSW chief executive Tracey Burton said in a statement the development had been designed to address community concerns, and that the company was “committed to high-quality care and service for all people”.

Uniting – in planning documents – stated the provision of seniors living would also encourage older people to live independently for as long as suitable, noting that “that not all people entering the aged care system require the same level of care”.

The planning documents stated the development was in line with a housing strategy conducted by Waverley Council in 2020 which found 1446 more independent seniors living units were needed in Sydney’s east by 2036 to accommodate the forecast demand.

Susan Hely, who has been leading community opposition to the development, said while residents were not opposed to more housing, it should not come at the cost of heritage and open space.

An aerial view of the Waverley War Memorial site.

“The hospital has one of the largest green spaces in Sydney and people love to sit under the trees and walk through the gardens with their dogs,” she said.

“It’s the crown jewel of Waverley and it seems to be another sign of where Sydney is going, where the charm of what makes our suburbs so appealing is disappearing before our eyes.”

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