My wife and I have lived in Mullumbimby for 20 years. Many like us have come from somewhere else but in the process have left our families and old friends behind. Some of us have reached an age when we wish to downsize to a retirement village but, because there are none in Mullumbimby, have had to move elsewhere. This is surely regrettable.
Part of the hospital site could be set aside for a retirement village and this would tie in with the existing Catholic nursing home on the site. Retirement village developers could be invited to submit expressions of interest to test the market. If there was an interest in establishing one in Mullumbimby, the sale of this part of the site could be offset against the cost incurred by Council in dealing with the asbestos contamination at the site.
This will reduce or eliminate the need to recover costs from the balance of the site. This in turn will reduce the cost of low-cost housing by reducing or eliminating the land component from the overall cost. This will enable rents to be lower thus satisfying the requirement of low-cost housing.
The retirement development should Include a level of nursing which could be integrated with the higher level of care at the Catholic nursing home which, I understand, was suggested by them. Linking these facilities is surely good planning.
I welcome feedback to this scheme.
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