Save Elanora - Legal Fund

Developers are proposing to rebuild the Elanora Aged Care Facility into a four storey, 16m high apartment complex attached to the Residential Aged Care Facility (7 Mair Street, 13-17 New Street Brighton Vic).

Currently Elanora has 140 Commonwealth allotted Residential Aged care places. Most of the current facility is single storey and these residents have direct courtyard access from their lodging rooms. In the new design there would be 150 lodging rooms and NINETY-FIVE 2/3 bedroom apartments. The independent living apartments (ILUs) have kitchens, laundries, balconies, bay views and are within 7m of adjoining homes with screening to only 1.2m. Each apartment has only 0.3 car spaces allotted to it. There is also a 200 seat public cafe planned.

The developers are calling all the rooms suites, instead of ILUs or lodging rooms to blur the line between a Residential Aged Care Facility and a Residential Village, which have very different planning scheme rules. Whether this is appropriate relates to ‘characterisation of use’ and is a point of law that will be decided at a VCAT hearing running over 10 days in November 2021.

If we win this point of law it will force a redesign and the apartment component of this development will be significantly contained, ie 8m in height, 1.7m screening and more car parking. Car parking in this area is already at a premium. If we fail then this will change our area forever and set a precedent for all other developers.

We are not opposed to the redevelopment of Elanora as a Residential Aged Care Facility. We are opposed to the attempt of developers to make apartment complexes by taking land from those who need high level aged care.

Many local residents have contributed to engage a Barrister to represent us at VCAT. However, we cannot do it alone and we need your help. Any donations can be anonymous, $200 would be great but whatever you can afford in these difficult times.

Thank you from Save Elanora, founded by a group of concerned local residents.