Planning Proposal - Wollongong City Council - NSW Government

accommodation within the Wollongong LGA and will complement the 5 star facility
“The Links Seaside” that is operating directly opposite the site.
(m) If a stand-alone proposal and not a centre, does the proposal have the
potential to develop into a centre in the future?
This clause is not relevant to the planning proposal.
(n) What are the public interest reasons for preparing the draft plan? What are
the implications of not proceeding at that time?
As outlined throughout this proposal, Wollongong has an above average aged
population and an undersupply of aged care facilities within the LGA. According to the
Wollongong City Housing Study 2005 (WCHS, prepared by SGS), the Commonwealth
Department of Health and Ageing suggests that 108 aged care places need to be
provided for every 1,000 people aged above 70 years. Of these places, approximately
88 refer to residential low and high care places, whilst the remaining 20 refer to
community care places. According to the study, 938 people were living in aged care
accommodation in Wollongong in 2001.
“In 2001, the Wollongong LGA had 19,307 people aged above 70 years,
which means that around 2,085 aged care places should have been provided
in 2001 of which 1,699 were residential care places, with the remaining 386
community care places. The number of people aged 70 years and above is
expected to rise significantly to 48,439 and thus the demand for aged care
would rise to 5,231 places by 2031.” (WCHS 2005; 102-103).
The above information shows that there is a clear undersupply of aged care facilities
within the Wollongong LGA, which could pose potential problems in the future (e.g.
inability of people to ‘age in place’, increased pressure on hospitals and existing
facilities, etc.).
In addition to increasing the supply of aged care accommodation, the proposed
development will also increase the amount of affordable housing within the LGA, by
providing aged care housing that will be well-serviced, well-located, safe, secure and
accessible. According to the WCHS 2005, affordable housing is looming as a
persistent and potentially intractable problem in Australia’s major cities.
“Housing is only truly affordable if it is well-serviced, well-located, safe,
secure and accessible to people in need. ‘Affordable housing’ is therefore
considered broadly in terms of the relationship between the dwelling and the
residents, their capacities and needs; it is not solely a physical or financial
characteristic of the dwelling and cannot be measured in financial terms
alone.” (WCHS, 2005; 66).
Should the planning proposal not proceed at this time, it is difficult to see how
Wollongong will meet the required targets of providing aged care places for an ageing
population. As noted above, aged care housing requires a large area of land and does
not provide the same level of return as a residential or commercial development. The
subject site:
Warrigal Care – Planning Proposal 13