We intend to develop the land into a mix of single dwellings and a shared accommodation home for people living with disabilities and those who are aged.
Possability will offer disability services to residents including life skills, community access and personal supports. Other service providers will also be engaged on-site.
The Acting Mayor, Ald. Annette Rockliff, said the Possability project would bring a range of benefits to Devonport including:
- Improved specialist disability accommodation for 10-16 people.
- Economic benefits from an estimated $7.2 million construction project and recurrent salaries paid to staff following completion.
- Additional Council income through rates paid on the property; and
- The provision of innovative housing for those in need.
“The proposed development will allow significant benefits – both socially and economically – to be achieved for the community including social inclusion, health and well-being, independence and ongoing support costs,’’ Ald. Rockliff said.
“Such benefits, Council believes, certainly outweigh the revenue forgone by gifting the land to Possability.’’
CEO, Drew Beswick, said access to affordable and accessible housing was a significant barrier to people with disability.
“Innovative, high quality developments like this are vital if we are to go any way to meeting demand for specialist accommodation,” he said.
“The initial design response was to create a space which is inclusive to the resident but also welcoming to the broader community. The community engagement with the site is an integral component of the design which includes a community centre and kitchen facilities that are able to support a diverse range of social activities and events.
“All proposed buildings, including the community spaces and landscape features, are designed with universal access and implement the base principle of allowing people to live with dignity.”
“I congratulate Devonport City Council for having the foresight and commitment to contribute towards this significant social investment which will benefit the community for decades to come.”
Council has owned the land since at least 1970 and it is currently used as a throughway from Tarleton Street to the East Devonport shopping precinct. Anecdotal evidence indicates that its usage for public recreation-type purposes has in the past been limited.
Gran’s Van, a local service which provides food and support to the city’s homeless and hidden poor, currently operates from the site and Possability has confirmed the group will be able to continue their operations into the future in improved amenities on site.
The development application will be advertised this Saturday, 14 July 2018, for the statutory 14-day public exhibition period.
This story has been adapted from an article by Nigel Tapp on the Devonport City Council website. View the original article.