Are we losing an aged care home?
We are increasingly an ageing population, so when an aged-care home in our community is to close, we want to know why.
By John Corker, a Thirroul-based lawyer who is helping families of residents at McCauley Lodge to try to keep it open.
We are increasingly an ageing population, so when an aged-care home in our community is to close, we want to know why.
The Churches of Christ Property Trust (trading as Fresh Hope Care) (“the Church”) owner of McCauley Lodge (“the Lodge”) in Tasman Parade, Thirroul, recently gave notice to all 38 residents that it intends to close the facility, all out by 21 August 2022. A number of residents are over
100 years old. Many had considered the Lodge to be their final home.
Residents speak highly of the care they receive and its focus on a domestic and home-like environment. It is, in fact, a best practice “small household model of care” lauded by the recent Aged Care Royal Commission.
The families of residents are distraught, and to make matters worse the Church is facing significant barriers to obtain planning approval to build a replacement residential aged-care facility.
The reasons given for the proposed closure are said to be fire safety, infection control and Occupational Health and Safety compliance issues, based on a recent audit of the Lodge by the Commonwealth Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
The barriers in the way of obtaining planning approval from Wollongong City Council are said to be that it’s too far from the shops and public transport (even though it’s only 500m from the centre of Thirroul and has been there since 1965), its impact on the amenity of neighbouring properties (some being large new houses built in the last five years), and its impact on the heritage fig trees. Also, the NSW government introduced a new State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) (Housing) on 26 November 2021 where new floor-space ratios make it even harder to comply.
If a residential aged-care facility can’t get planning approval it will most likely be developed as individual living retirement units, very attractively located on McCauley Hill for an ageing Sydney population.
Some readers may remember The Lodge being called the Samuel and Ann McCauley Guest Home, which it was until 2016. This was in memory of Stella Wyndham-Jones’ grandparents, pioneer residents of this district.
In 1950 Stella gave her land and money to commence the building of the Lodge as a “rest home for the aged” in Tasman Parade. The Church bought the land from Stella in 1966, but it is not clear whether there is any covenant running with the land as to its intended use.
It is a tragedy for this community and its residents to lose a facility with such a good reputation. Regulation at a Commonwealth, State and local level seems to have created a perfect storm. Locals are fighting on!
