NEWS DESK
Consortium chosen for hospital redevelopment THE Frankston Hospital redevelopment has moved forward another step. A consortium has been chosen to enter exclusive negotiations with the state government to undertake the $605 million project. The redevelopment will be a publicprivate partnership with a private consortium designing, constructing, financing, and maintaining the project for 25 years. Despite that, the Victorian Health Building Authority has stressed that the hospital will remain a public hospital. The state government has announced that the Exemplar Health consortium has emerged from the tender process as the preferred bidder. It is made up of Capella Capital as a sponsor and investor, Aware Super as an investor, Lendlease Building Contractors as a builder, and Honeywell Limited and Compass Group Healthcare Hospitality Services as facilities and maintenance managers. All clinical healthcare services will be operated by Peninsula Health. The redevelopment includes work on a new clinical services tower and main entrance, capacity for 120 more beds, new operating theatres, improved mental health and oncology services, new maternity, obstetrics, and paediatric wards, and a mental health, alcohol, and other drugs hub. The VHBA says that construction is expected to start in the first half of 2022 and be complete in 2025. Peninsula Health is moving its COVID-19 testing clinic to accommodate for the start of construction. Committee for Greater Frankston CEO Ginevra Hosking said she hopes that the project “will create 1700 jobs during construction and massively add to Frankston’s thriving health and education precinct when it is completed in 2025”.
CONCEPT plans for the Frankston Hospital redevelopment. Picture: Supplied
“This year marks [Frankston Hospital’s] 80th anniversary and the community and generations of volunteers can be proud of raising the funds to build a 30-bed country hospital that has grown to serve a population the size of Canberra,” she said. “This has
been enhanced by the recent opening of the new academic and research building Ngarnga Centre where Peninsula Health and Monash University are training our next generation of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
“We hope to see plenty of Frankston and Carrum Downs businesses involved in the hospital project and its ongoing operations. We are keen to introduce innovative local companies to the state government and the preferred bidder. The committee congratulates
the state government, local MP Paul Edbrooke and Peninsula Health for their unrelenting determination in driving the project forward and overcoming the hurdles of pandemic restrictions.” Brodie Cowburn
Diminished planning power worries councillors Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au FRANKSTON Council will write to state government MPs flagging concerns that new planning amendments will reduce council’s planning power. Councillors agreed that “proposed changes may have major implications as they would reduce council and community input into process and decision
making. In particular, the potential to remove council as the planning authority for priority areas, specifically the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre.” An example of an amendment made last year which concerns council is Amendment VC187. Council officers wrote that the change made “the minister for energy, environment, and climate change (DELWP) responsible for assessment and decision making for the development of 10 or more
dwellings and apartments” with “no council or community involvement in the consideration and decision making process for applications that meet these requirements.” Councillors unanimously agreed at their most recent meeting to write to the planning minister, shadow planning minister, and Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke to outline their worries. Councillors who spoke in favour of the move also urged residents to write to their local MP about it.
Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke was contacted for comment. Council officers also wrote that a proposed change “to be tabled in Parliament in early 2022 which would see the minister for planning being able to declare priority precincts and projects” would “have significant implications for council. Of particular concern is the development of the FMAC SP which would meet the definition of a priority project and council would be relegated to the role of key stakeholder
and a submitter.” Frankston councillor Sue Baker said at a recent public meeting that council staff are monitoring the situation “very closely”. “We can assure residents we are doing everything we can do, even though it is out of our hands to a greater extent,” she said. Cr Kris Bolam said that the “legislation before us needs to be properly shopped and consulted and the local government sector needs to be engaged, and that’s what the council is asking for.”
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SHARN COOMBES LIBERAL FOR DUNKLEY
Standing strong, fighting for our community Authorised by Sam McQuestin, Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), L12, 257 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 Frankston Times
8 February 2022
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