CHC Pty Ltd's $41m Claremont aged care plan sparks amenity fight

Town of Claremont planners are urging a Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel to knock back a $41m aged care redevelopment, with the panel due to consider it next Wednesday. Their report to the panel argues the building heights and setbacks from Albert Street would harm the established residential amenity nearby, PerthNow reported on 2 November.

The applicant is CHC Pty Ltd, the St Louis operator, which wants to redevelop its Dean Street site across 4080sqm. It proposes three multi-storey residential buildings plus an arts studio. Two would be four storeys and one five storeys, holding 24 three-bedroom apartments for aged and dependent persons. Ten existing units would come down. According to the operator, the older dwellings were mostly built in the 1980s as one and two-storey homes, and some have emptied out in recent years.

The site sits inside the St Louise Estate masterplan area, which also has a local development plan. The estate runs as a retirement village of 145 dwellings and contains the heritage-listed Hinemona Homestead, used for residents and administration. It also borders Stirling Highway.

Why it matters

The Town told the panel the proposal falls short of the council-endorsed plan for the estate’s central precinct. In the report’s words, the heights and setbacks produce “an unacceptable impact upon residential amenity”.

The numbers

The project is valued at $41m. Alongside the 24 apartments and the arts studio, the plans list 51 parking bays in a one-level basement, 12 bicycle bays, a communal multi-purpose space and 29 storerooms. Each building would have a lift and bin storage, and the plans include a rooftop terrace. One four-storey building and the five-storey building would face Albert Street, while the other four-storey building would stand mid-site.

What’s next

The panel is expected to weigh the application, and the Town’s refusal recommendation, next Wednesday. Related DAP coverage: Scarborough tower height doubling.