A hospice in the Highlands has moved one step closer to being a reality.
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A development application (DA) has been lodged for a hospice and medical centre in Bowral.
The proposed development would include 10 private patient rooms in the hospice section and four consulting rooms in the medical centre.
It would provide 38 onsite parking spaces and be a mix of single and two storey buildings.
A Statement of Environmental Effects prepared by Lee Environmental Planning said the hospice would operate 24 hours each day while the medical centre would be open six days a week (Monday to Saturday) and would bring economic benefits to the shire through employment.
A traffic report by Highlands Analytics concluded the two intersections near the proposed development (Bowral Street/Sheffield Street and Bowral Street/Jude Street) would be able to operate”satisfactorily” in 2027 if the development went ahead.
While the site is not an item of heritage, it does sit within the Bowral Conservation Area.
A Statement of Heritage Impact prepared by Dr Caroline Cosgrove said the proposed design would have little impact on the surrounding area.
“The new construction will be relatively low scale and will use materials that are sympathetic to the heritage character of the Conservation Area,” it said.
The site (104-106 Bowral Street, Bowral) is currently zoned R2 Low Density Residential.
Under this current zoning, a health services facility (hospice) is not permitted.
However council has lodged a planning proposal with the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) to rezone the land to R3 Medium Density Residential.
The proposal is under consideration by the DPE for Gateway Determination.
The development would also require an amalgamation of the two existing lots.
The Statement of Environmental Effects said and consent given by council for the proposed development “would need to be a deferred commencement approval unable to be activated until such time as the required amendment for the local plan was completed”.
The house at 104 is estimated to have been built in the 1950s and the house at 106 is estimated to have been constructed in the late 1930s.
