A high dependency aged care facility will be constructed in the Shire of Northam, it has been announced.
The new residential aged care facility, to be built by Uniting Church Homes, will be located on the former Victoria Street Oval on Wellington Street in Northam.
Shire of Northam chief executive Jason Whiteaker said the wider Avon Valley region would benefit from the development.
"Council have been working on the potential sale for the last 18 months and are pleased with the outcome," he said.
"There is a significant unmet need for residential aged care in the region and as such the opportunity for council to sell the former Victoria Oval site to meet this need is a significant outcome for Northam and the region."
While the details of the new aged care facility are still to be worked through by Uniting Church Homes and the development is still required to be put through a development approvals process, Mr Whiteaker said the announcement was significant.
The announcement follows a series of articles spearheaded by the Avon Valley and Wheatbelt Advocate exploring the issue of aged care in the region.
The series was inspired after not-for-profit Regional Development Australia shared their plans to develop and implement a regional solution to allow ageing residents to remain in their communities.
A Uniting Church spokesperson said the development would continue the group's commitment to the region.
"Juniper is an organisation of the Uniting Church, and both have a long history serving the Avon region reaching back many decades, including the establishment of Juniper's first care services from Bethavon in the 1980s," the spokesperson said.
"Juniper has purchased this land as part of its future planning for aged care services in the region.
"Juniper is in the early stages of planning and we will be consulting extensively with all stakeholders including our residents and clients, Uniting Church congregation members, businesses and neighbours".
It is expected that, subject to planning and building approvals, the construction of the new aged care facility will commence in 2021.
What do you think needs to be done to keep the elderly in the regions?
Send a letter to eliza.wynn@avonadvocate.com.au.
