NEIGHBOURS of a proposed Torquay residential mental health care facility have called for its developers to host a public community meeting amid concerns with public consultation.<\/p>\n
Haven Foundation has planned a 12-unit facility at Silvereye Street in Torquay’s Stretton Estate to provide secure housing for people with mental ill-health.<\/p>\n
The development has backing from the Victorian government’s Big Housing Build, meaning it can bypass usual planning controls to fast-track construction.<\/p>\n
But a perceived lack of community consultation during planning has frustrated nearby residents.<\/p>\n
Neighbour Adam Reardon said he’d been aware of the plan since mid-last year, but has been frustrated in attempts to find out more information about the development.<\/p>\n
“Since then we’ve been pretty much stonewalled the whole time,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Whenever we’ve reached out for, like, more information about the facility or anything like that, we’ve just been met with absolute silence.”<\/p>\n
Haven has started consultation in the past fortnight through letterbox drops and door-knocking impacted residents.<\/p>\n
Mr Reardon is among objectors who say the recent engagement has not gone far enough.<\/p>\n
“They’re saying they’ve consulted with the community and they’re being really engaged. All that looked like was door knocking on the on the closest homes between a two-hour period on the middle of the day on Friday, where most people would have been out working,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If there’s a level of transparency, you get community buy-in. This is creating quite the opposite effect.”<\/p>\n
Residents have asked Haven to front a community forum to address concerns, but the developer has refused to budge from offering one-on-one meetings.<\/p>\n
Haven said in a statement that residents could arrange direct meetings with representatives by calling Mind Connect on 1300 286 463.<\/p>\n
“We work in consultation with neighbours before, during and after the construction of our residences to address their concerns and ensure the developments sits harmoniously with its neighbourhood,” a Haven spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“Our aim is to create a welcoming and positive community for future Haven Torquay residents, that exists peacefully in its neighbourhood in the way our other Haven residences all do.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEIGHBOURS of a proposed Torquay residential mental health care facility have called for its developers to host a public community meeting amid concerns with public consultation. Haven Foundation has planned a 12-unit facility at Silvereye Street in Torquay’s Stretton Estate to provide secure housing for people with mental ill-health. The development has backing from the […]<\/p>\n