By Danielle Kutchel
Casey Council has resolved to sell a portion of land on Berwick-Cranbourne Road for use as a new community hospital.
At its council meeting on Tuesday 15 June, the City of Casey approved a land sale 65 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne East to the Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA) for the construction of the facility.
The community hospital will provide residents with access to medical resources like imaging, an inpatient day clinic, specialist care, chronic disease care, and family and children’s services.
It will not house an emergency department.
At the council meeting, Casey’s administrators referenced the 38 submissions received from the public during the sale’s exhibition period earlier this year.
The majority of those submissions expressed concerns around traffic to the hospital site down one of the busiest roads in Casey.
Chair of administrators at Casey, Noelene Duff, said that a number of measures will be undertaken by the VHBA to manage traffic and parking in the surrounding area, and the council will be a partner in this process.
“In conjunction with building the new hospital, the VHBA has also committed to deliver two key roads in the Casey Complex,” Ms Duff said.
“These roads form part of the future transport network and will provide access to the hospital once operational and connect the rest of the Casey Complex in the future.”
As part of the hospital development 300 car parks will be built to cater for the expected demand of visitors.
The City of Casey is advocating for unpaid parking however ultimately this will be up to Monash Health, the hospital’s future operator.
Balla Balla Community Centre, which is directly in the path of the planned hospital, would stay on at the site for ten years while planning for its future continues.
Ms Duff said the proceeds of the sale would be invested back into community infrastructure in Cranbourne.
Administrator Cameron Boardman thanked all those who had provided feedback on the hospital project.
He said the community had acknowledged the hospital was needed, and said the council recognised how vital it would be for the area.
“I don’t think in the community consultative process we heard one objection against the merits of the proposal per se; what we did hear was size, traffic, accessibility, parking, noise, waste disposal and other issues, all of which we have certainly considered,” Mr Boardman said.
“What we hope will give the community confidence that we have considered these issues quite thoughtfully and vigilantly is by going down a process where we have taken the lead to engage with the VHBA personally … that we have delivered a much better result for the local community and municipality as a whole.”
He said part of this impact was the delivery of two additional roads to the hospital.
“Whilst there are still legitimate concerns from some members of the community around traffic and accessibility and the other issues I’ve mentioned, there is no doubt that our role as a very significant partner to effect better outcomes will continue,” he said.
Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards welcomed the announcement of the sale.
“This is the ideal location for this important community facility, ensuring locals can access more health services closer to home,” she said.
Negotiations on parts of the project are yet to be finalised however the hospital is expected to open in 2024.
