$ 55m development to give site new life
A NEW private hospital proposed for West End will include a pharmacy and cafe, plans released by developers have revealed.
A section of Wilson Rd will also be permanently closed as part of the project.
Griffin Group is seeking planning permission to build a five- storey architecturally designed and purpose- built hospital on Sturt St and Ingham Rd.
The $ 55 million project will include 22 private hospital beds.
A development application lodged with Townsville City Council stated that, while the pharmacy and cafe would pri- marily service the needs of patients and visitors to the hospital, the operator of the hospital identified trading to the general public would also be important.
As part of the project, Wilson St will be closed between O’Brien St and Ingham Rd.
The closure of the Wilson St reserve will result in severance of the existing public pedestrian path between Ingham Rd and Townsville West State School.
That link will be re- estab- lished along an alignment extending from the memorial gates on Ingham Rd to the southeast corner of the heritage building to Wilson St.
The state- of- the- art hospital will include specialist services such as radiology, cardiology, maxillofacial, physiotherapy, pathology and medical consulting rooms.
There will also be a reception, office, amenities and back- of- house facilities.
The development involves the retention and repurposing of the old heritage- listed Townsville West State School.
The former school, which opened in 1939, is notable for its inter- war style brick building and memorial gates.
The Soldiers’ Memorial Gate was the first memorial of its kind erected in Townsville.
The monument commemorates “the glorious deeds, remarkable achievements, enduring courage, noble sacrifices and nobility of character” of the school’s teachers and past pupils killed or wounded in World War I. The gate will be retained and used as the main pedestrian entry.
Griffin Group director Ben Griffin told the Bulletin in February the development would respect the heritage building and revitalise it into a thriving health precinct with a national profile.
A new lightweight glazed pedestrian bridge will link the existing building to the proposed hospital building at levels one and two.
The developers plan to repair roofing, downpipes, cracks, brickwork, windows and fences as well as repaint the building as part of the works.
The council’s planning officers have raised issues regarding the development relating to waste management, car parking and traffic flow.
The project is being assessed by the council.