By Mitchell Clarke
An application to build an $11.8 million aged care facility in Officer has been lodged with Cardinia Shire Council.
The advertised floor plan indicates the facility will sit on 9455 square metres of land off Tivendale Road, and feature a large communal area with 144 bedrooms and almost 70 car parking spaces.
Cardinia Shire Council’s policy, design and growth area planning manager Luke Connell confirmed the application had been received on 30 March this year.
“Council received planning application T200146 applying for a planning permit for the use and development of the land for a residential aged care facility and removal and creation of easements,” Mr Connell said.
“Council is currently assessing this application and has not made a decision on the application to date.”
The proposed facility sits next to the Officer Public Hall and is in close proximity to the Officer Primary School and Minaret College.
The chosen site will back onto the office of State Gembrook MP Brad Battin, who said it was “great” to see an application of the kind.
Despite numerous aged care facilities in the neighbouring suburbs of Pakenham and Berwick, the Gazette understands there is currently no such facility in Officer.
“Aged care facilities are an important service for our community and it is great to see a facility being established in the growing community of Officer,” Mr Battin said.
According to data obtained from Cardinia Shire Council, the municipality recorded a lower proportion of people aged 60 or older, when compared with Greater Melbourne.
A population snapshot recorded that people aged between 60 to 69 made up less than the area’s total population, while seniors older than 70 made up 6.4 percent.
Just over one percent of Cardinia’s population is older than 85-years-old.
Due to Officer’s booming population, Mr Battin said Cardinia Shire Council must take into consideration the project’s size and the effect it would have on the local area.
“It is important with a facility this size, surrounded by a number of schools and businesses, that council ensure the road infrastructure is updated to accommodate for the increased traffic,” he added.
The council said a decision is yet to be made on whether the project will be granted a planning permit.
