Shire will sell land for independent living units for $1

A PLAN to create independent living units in Winchelsea has taken a major step forward, with the Surf Coast Shire council agreeing to sell the land to a not-for-profit organisation for $1.

Support for the proposal was not unanimous, with one councillor saying the land should be used in a more equitable way.

According to the officers’ report presented to councillors at their July 27 meeting, Winanglo Incorporated – which is associated with Corangamite Financial Services – approached the council seeking the transfer of the ownership of the land at 42 Harding Street at no cost for the development of independent living units.

Winanglo proposes to build between eight and 10 two-bedrooms units, each with adaptable design to enable conversion to achieve essential wheelchair access and other safety measures with minimum expense.

There would be access to the neighbouring Senior Citizens Centre, if appropriate.

The target market is older people in Winchelsea and district not requiring residential care but living in housing that no longer meets their needs.

“Winanglo considers it to be affordable housing for local residents to downsize while staying in the community, close to services, at the same time freeing up local housing stock,” the report states.

Cr Adrian Schonfelder commended the efforts of Ken McDonald and John Knucky, among others in Winchelsea, for their efforts in driving the proposal forward.

“I feel they’ve been empowered by this process when it comes to a gap in the housing situation, where people who I know personally have moved from Winchelsea and Moriac and district to retirement homes like Abervale (in Grovedale),” he said.

“Many of them would have preferred to have stayed locally, but they wanted to have the option of downsizing.

“This really fills that gap and I’m really excited about it.”

Cr Heather Wellington said the land was in a wonderful location and “clearly surplus” to the council’s requirements.

“The beauty of this, from my perspective, is that it’s a partnership between the council and Winanglo that has been set up specifically for this purpose as an organisational entity, and it’ll set off a process that will give sufficient cashflow and capital to actually deliver projects throughout the shire, so it’s not just a Winchelsea project.”

The council resolved, eight votes to one, to follow the officers’ recommendation to affirm the willingness to sell 42 Harding Street to Winanglo, to advertise the council’s intentions via public notice and invite submissions.

Cr Kate Gazzard, who was the lone councillor opposed, said she had some reservations about the recommendation, and preferred to first run an expression of interest process open to all organisations (including Winanglo) to achieve a community-oriented housing outcome and maximise the financial return to the council.

“I know we discussed other social housing options, which I think would be more equitable than Winanglo being gifted this (land), and I think that would be a better option,” she said.