IF Bathurst council was to change its position, or a government grant became available, a group of general practitioners believe the proposed integrated medical centre could still be a possibility.
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Louise McMahon, Dr Atma Rana, Dr Sarah Koffmann and Dr Marcus Hayward - the owners of Bathurst General Practice Group (BGPG) - made the argument in a letter to the community following decisions that have put an end to the Bathurst Integrated Medical Centre "in the foreseeable future".
During a closed-door meeting on June 19, 2024, the council resolved to reject a car park funding proposal, revealing its decision to the public on June 25.
Mayor Jess Jennings said the request was rejected due to the increased financial cost implications to ratepayers, along with inadequate parking spaces for the Bathurst community.
After the council's announcement, the development group behind the BIMC confirmed it would not be lodging a development application (DA) for the facility as a result.
The BGPG, which comprises Busby Medical Practice and Russell Street Medical Centre, was poised to become a tenant of the BIMC.
The owners of BGPG said the BIMC not going ahead is "a huge loss", particularly with the city's inevitable population growth, the demands of which will put even more pressure on health services that are already stretched.
"Bathurst deserves a multi-disciplinary medical precinct in the CBD," they said.
"BIMC was set to house the private hospital, a general practice, and other critical healthcare services including medical imaging, a pathology service and potentially a pharmacy.
"In addition to BIMC's location being well placed for all Bathurst residents in terms of public transport and taxi services, co-locating various healthcare facilities within the BIMC would have fostered collaboration among medical professionals."
They have indicated they would like to see discussions around the BIMC continue between the council, the development group, and the state and federal governments.
If this were to happen, they think it is possible to overcome the car parking concerns.
The council wanted more parking in the development, which the development group was open to including, but neither party was in a position to commit the money needed to build the additional spaces.
"BIMC were prepared to include [extra parking] in the development if BRC could contribute an additional $5 million towards this extra parking," the BGPG owners said.
"Sadly, BRC is not able to fund this.
"If BRC was able to change their position, or if the local or federal members were able to get the state or federal governments to make funds available for the extra floor, perhaps the investor would proceed with the development application.
"This would increase the 330 existing car parks behind the RSL to 740 and Bathurst benefits from more parking in the CBD."
Praise for development group
In their letter, the BGPG owners were very complimentary of the development group behind the project.
"It is important for the community to know that in the years we have interacted with the developers, we have found them to be honest and forthcoming in their intentions," they said.
"Yes, they are private investors, but they have always demonstrated to us a genuine desire at the heart of their project to provide a much needed health service for our community."
They reiterated the need to bring additional health services to Bathurst.
"The demise of the BIMC development plan has dealt a significant blow, and is a major setback for the town in adequately preparing for the inevitable population growth we face," they said.
"Future-proofing medical care in Bathurst is a crucial component of ensuring Bathurst continues to be the thriving, caring community that we know and love."
Rachel Chamberlain
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
