Liam McNally
Melton council has rejected a planning application for a deregistered aged care facility to convert its site into a rooming house.
The application was for the former site of Grace disability services’ Gracemanor (formerly Meadowbrook), an aged care facility which had its registration revoked last June by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
The facility had its licence revoked after a government investigation found instances of bullying, intimidation, unsafe and unhygienic living conditions and insufficient quality and quantity of food, and inadequate provision of personal and health care.
The application for the site to be converted into a 30-room rooming house was brought before council at a meeting on Monday, Marsh 27, with council officers recommending the proposal be approved.
Melton council planning services manager Bob Baggio said advertising of the application attracted 11 objections “which were largely based on the applicants alleged mismanagement of the previous use of the land”.
A council report stated the objectors were concerned that “vulnerable people would be taken advantage of at the rooming house.”
“The objections were from previous residents, relatives of previous residents, and previous employees of the Meadowbrook SRS,” it said.
Mr Baggio said the main concerns for council’s assessment are whether the proposal is supported by state and local planning policies.
“Council officers are of the view that the proposal is consistent with these criteria and should therefore be supported by council if appropriate conditions are submitted in the report,” he said.
Councillor Sophie Ramsay called for the planning application be rejected.
“On planning grounds and planning grounds alone, because had it been on other grounds I would have been a lot different, the recommendation I’m moving is that council refuse the application,” she said.
Cr Ramsay’s grounds for rejection included the existing building and surrounds are considered to provide a substandard level of amenity to future residents, the site is located outside the walkable catchment area and the scale of the proposed rooming house has the potential to detrimentally affect the amenity of surrounding residents.
Cr Ramsay’s motion was moved unanimously by councillors.
