MAYOR Jess Jennings hasn't given up on the idea of an integrated medical centre, saying the possibility of building one on the council works depot site needs to be explored.
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The chances of him convincing the development group behind the Bathurst Integrated Medical Centre (BIMC) appear low, though, with the project manager already dismissing the idea.
It's not the first time the location has been raised, in general or by Cr Jennings.
Objectors to the site that was proposed for the BIMC, the old Clancy Motors premises in Howick Street, had called for the facility to be co-located with the Bathurst public hospital.
They argued that this would improve connectivity between the public and private health sectors, as well as be more attractive to doctors considering working in Bathurst.
Cr Jennings still believes this to be the case, and says the loss of the BIMC opens the door for those discussions.
"I think it does open the door on that as to ways in which we can better reconfigure the health precinct to house both public and private health services," he said.
"... The reality is, the best-possible design for a health precinct is to have a public service and the private service side by side, co-located."
He said the works depot, which sits on the corner of Durham and Peel streets, is in the wrong location and moving it to somewhere more suitable would allow for further development of the area as a health precinct.
This is something he has already flagged with the state government via the Health Minister.
"They understand the situation," Cr Jennings said.
"The reality is, it's simply a matter of money, primarily, to build on a greenfield site a new depot."
While not an official estimate, Cr Jennings said the cost to build a new works depot elsewhere would be around $30 million.
When asked how the council would fund something like this, given its well-documented financial issues, he said higher level of government would need to chip in.
"If we're going to use the depot site then, yes, it's a major cost and it's a major barrier in the short term, but there's federal government funds for precinct development, and if we were able to apply for that, then we could potentially try and develop the precinct along those lines by removing the depot," he said.
Idea is 'a distraction'
While Cr Jennings thinks the depot site warrants serious consideration, it's unlikely the proponents of the BIMC would consider shifting their plans to another location.
Garry Zauner of Zauner Construction, the project manager for the BIMC, said in 2022 that co-location was deemed as not practical or desirable for the developers.
His opinion hasn't changed, and Mr Zauner rejected the suggestion of exploring the depot site.
"As I've been saying publicly, and I'll say that to the mayor when we have our cup of coffee, that's just a complete furphy," he said.
"It's a distraction and it obviously takes away from the four years of hard work that everyone's under taken to prove that a CBD site of this nature in Howick Street is by far and away the best location for an integrated medical centre, and it also greatly assists the CBD of Bathurst."
Since the BIMC plans fell through, prospective tenants of the facility have spoken out about the loss.
They have indicated their support for the Howick Street site, with the general manager of the Bathurst Private Hospital talking about the benefits of an integrated medical centre being built in the CBD.
He said the central location would be convenient for staff and patients, and the increased foot traffic would revive the ailing city centre.
Meanwhile, the owners of the Bathurst General Practice Group released an open letter to the community that also touched on the suitability of the location.
"It should be noted that all prospective tenants were satisfied with the CBD location of the development," they said.
Cr Jennings acknowledged the BIMC proponents have not been in favour of the depot site in the past.
Should the works depot or another site be formally identified as a potential location for an integrated medical centre, he said the council would take the idea to the open market.
"Once we go through the process of reviewing and then ultimately finding a new opportunity or opportunities - there might be multiple sites that are usable for a private hospital - we would put that to the open market, which would certainly include the proponents of the BIMC, if they were interested," he said.
Rachel Chamberlain
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
