Cooroy Care Farm Town Planning Report - 4 - Report (003)

REPORT


4           PROPOSAL
4.1         Overview
The proposal involves the development of a 52 bed care facility on the western portion of the site and
dementia ‘homes’ to the east with surrounding centralised administrative and operational facilities. Both the
chapel and community hall are located centrally on the site.
The site has been strategically picked in order to implement an innovative style of dementia care in a rural
setting based on the findings of modern dementia research. The utilisation of a home-like environment is
recommended, and therefore provision of care in a rural environment is beneficial to the mental health of
dementia-affected persons. The chapel and community hall are intended to be utilised by the residents of the
care facility, to mimic a normal day-to-day life for residents, but will also be open to the public in order to
encourage community integration and interaction with the facility.
The rural setting is critical to the implementation of the principles behind the new method of dementia care
for the following reasons:
     •    The opportunity to establish continuous contact with other people, animals and nature is critical for
          the success of the model.
     •    The rural environment provides the opportunity to host farmyard animals that are unsuitable in an
          urban setting, and the area is relatively undeveloped and hosts native vegetation.
     •    Growing fruits and vegetables is also ideal given the availability of land.
     •    Producing a less institutionalised environment.
     •    Encourage residents to interact in more home-based activities (i.e. setting the table, garnishing
          meals).
For the reasons listed, the site and its rural nature are fundamental to the proposal, and because of this, the
proposed development will retain the rural setting of the locality.
The inclusion of the chapel and community hall which are to be made available for public use also help
achieve the recommendations of mental health experts in establishing continuous contact with people.
These uses seek to connect the aged care facility with the broader community and establish positive
relationships inclusive of all community members.
In addition to the innovative dementia care the proposal will provide, the residential aged care facility will also
include respite and palliative care.
It is proposed that where the development cannot be connected to Council infrastructure, services will be
provided on site. The services will have sufficient capacity in order to effectively provide the development
with all necessary infrastructure during day-to-day operations as well as in the event of an emergency or
disaster, such as a bushfire which would require significant volumes of water to control.
Architectural proposal plans are included at Appendix D. The proposal plans also indicate a potential nature
study centre on the western edge of the site. This will be subject to future applications and does not form
part of this application.
The detail of the proposal is discussed further below.

4.2         Rural Activities
As outlined in the overview above, the findings and recommendations of studies on persons living with
dementia advocate for various activities to be conducted which are only available in a rural setting. These
activities resemble hobby-farm activities typically carried out on rural land, and include agricultural activities
and caring for farm animals on-site. The total area of land proposed to be used for these activities is
approximately 600m².


PR139784 | Town Planning Report | v4 | 28 June 2019
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