7 May 2009
Media release: Hospital redevelopment set to benchmark live/work in Australia
Wahroonga, New South Wales
The Concept Plan for the $780 million redevelopment of the Wahroonga Estate, incorporating Sydney Adventist Hospital (the San) and the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, will be placed on public exhibition by the NSW Department of Planning today. The project is set to revolutionise live/work communities in Australia and will pioneer several innovative concepts.
The redevelopment is known as Wahroonga Estate and will see the transformation of the hospital into a bustling live/work environment with improved hospital facilities, expanded education facilities and affordable housing.
The project will be the first of its kind in Australia to offer innovative lifestyle features such as a funded car share scheme - simultaneously eradicating the need for residents to own and maintain cars, reducing traffic congestion and providing obvious environmental benefits.
Importantly in a climate of financial crisis, the focus is on supporting health services including employment generation and providing affordable housing.
Johnson Property Group, a private developer who is responsible for the master-planning of the 66 hectare site in joint venture with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, estimates some 5,000 jobs will be generated as a direct result of the project.
"With the economy slowing as Australia continues to battle the financial crisis, this project will deliver significant employment both through the development and construction phase and also through long-term positions in our expanded facilities," Mr Keith Johnson, Managing Director of Johnson Property Group, said.
Existing hospital facilities will be expanded with hospital floor space to increase by more than 50 per cent with an additional 28,000 square metres of space for specialist clinical services, inpatient care, and administration and ward facilities. A further 6,000 square metres of commercial space will be provided for ancillary health related industries.
"The expansion is critical to our ability to continue to deliver quality health care. Studies have revealed the need for the hospital's services is growing at a rate of 4 per cent per annum," said Dr Leon Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Adventist Hospital.
Artist's impression of Wahroonga Estate
Facilities of the Adventist Church will also double as part of the redevelopment, providing an additional 1,600 square metres to the existing two churches on site enabling further community facilities and pastoral care to be provided.
The redevelopment will also see the existing K-6 primary school relocated within the Estate. The school will grow from a 200 student primary school to a facility catering from kindergarten to Year 12 with some 800 students.
Set to pioneer a new live/work environment, Wahroonga Estate will also involve the redevelopment of the existing 512 residential apartments on the site.
A total of 1,240 residential dwellings/apartments/beds will be constructed on the site providing affordable housing for key health workers, staff and students.
Residences will comprise a combination of houses, townhouses, apartments, student lodges and retirement living to cater to the diverse needs of the community.
A further 2,000 square metres of retail space will be added to support the existing Fox Valley neighbourhood centre to cater to the needs of the growing population.
"The Estate allows for a truly balanced lifestyle enabling staff working within the Estate to live on-site, eliminating commuting time and also making it easier for families to manage the needs of their children," Mr Johnson said.
"The affordable housing will also enable hospital staff to live close to their workplace, with many being ‘priced out' of the exclusive suburbs that surround the site."
Wahroonga Estate will also set a new benchmark in terms of sustainability with an innovative car share scheme providing one vehicle per six dwellings. The scheme provides access for vehicles to low-income workers and students.
Pedestrian and cycleways within the Estate will partner with the car share scheme to reduce traffic, along with methods to improve access to public transport.
Environmental considerations have been paramount in planning Wahroonga Estate in order to balance the environment expectations with creating a sustainable live/work community to support the much needed expansion to health services at the San.
Approximately 18 hectares of land, or 27 per cent, will be preserved, maintained and zoned as bushland. A further 16 hectares of land, or 25 per cent, will be preserved as bushland but maintained as bushfire Asset Protection Zone. Approximately 32 hectares of land, or 48 per cent, will be developed and this will also include landscaped public open space areas.
Plans for Wahroonga Estate can be viewed at NSW Department of Planning, Ku-ring-gai Council, Hornsby Council and Turramurra Library. Plans can also be viewed on-line until Monday 8 June, 2009 at www.wahroongaestate.com.au or www.planning.nsw.gov.au
The project team will implement an on-going community consultation program to ensure the local community is comprehensively briefed with a series of information sessions and meetings planned to gain feedback to the proposal.
Community day to reveal new plans for Wahroonga Estate.
For further media information please contact:
Karen Gampenov or Kate Bailey
The PR Partnership
Tel: (02) 8249-8188 or 0411-795-131 (KG) or 0421-986-328 (KB)
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