Residents attack bid for aged care home

A PUBLIC forum descended into name calling and yelling as angry Eastern Shore residents hit out over plans for an aged care development in their neighbourhood.

Housing Tasmania director of portfolio and supply Richard Gilmour and founder of Victorian aged care provider Wintringham, Bryan Lipmann, fronted the hostile crowd at a briefing about the project at the Howrah Community Centre.

Both men found it hard to speak at times with residents interjecting.

Federal funding was announced this week for an aged care facility to cater for Tasmanians over 50 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The State Government, through Housing Tasmania, will spend $12 million on the construction of the site.

Wintringham has won the tender and the preferred site is on land next to the heritage listed sandstone Wirksworth in Bellerive, both owned by the State Government.

Mr Gilmour told the forum 21 per cent of Tasmanians over 65 experienced some form of housing stress and 206 Tasmanians over the age of 65 sought help for homelessness in 2013-14.

He said the size, location and proximity to key services such as transport and recreation made the Wirksworth site more suitable than other proposed locations at Huntingfield and Rokeby.

Mr Gilmour said the plans could not be revealed or community consultation take place until this week’s Federal funding announcement.

“This process is to create dialogue to alleviate the concerns of the local residents,’’ he told the forum.

But residents said they were concerned the elderly clientele included 50-year-olds and some may have drug and alcohol addiction and criminal records. They were also concerned about the proximity of the facility to Clarence High School and wanted assurances that all Wintringham residents would have police checks.

Mr Gilmour said his department would liaise with the Heritage Council before a development application went to the Clarence City Council.

Mr Lipmann said the average age of residents in Wintringham homes was 70 “but there are people in their 50s but that is rare — the only defining difference is their lack of wealth. Anyone who’s a pensioner who lives alone is vulnerable. What we are essentially trying to do is prevent homelessness.”

Mr Lipmann said a number of people shook his hand at the end of the meeting.

“I understand that people want to make up their own minds,” he said.

Bryan Lipmann