Revised Lake Macquarie aged care plans lodged after design overhaul

A 100-bed aged care facility that was approved eight years ago by Lake Macquarie City Council has submitted a new modified development application to potentially get construction under way.

The Salvation Army plans to build the aged care facility at 121 Portland Drive in Cameron Park, on a 2.7-hectare site that borders a residential estate and Cameron Park Plaza shopping centre.

The ground and first floors would house 40 rooms each, while the lower ground floor would boast 20 rooms.

A coffee shop, chapel, hairdressing salon, nursing station, physiotherapy room, state rooms and a 40-space car park were also included in the approved plans.

The lower floor would offer facilities for seniors with dementia, and about 40 nursing staff would be present at any time.

Cameron Park has grown considerably since the aged care facility was approved in 2018.

Cameron Park Plaza, which contains a Woolworths, opened in 2020, and one of the Hunter's largest pubs, Harrigan's Cameron Park, poured its first beers in 2023.

Construction of the aged care facility was initially delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the commencement of construction was extended by two years until December 21, 2025.

In the modification application submitted to the council, ADW Johnson argues on behalf of the Salvation Army that field investigations, which included six boreholes and subsequent laboratory testing, were completed on September 22 and 23 last year before consent expired.

ADW Johnson said construction was further delayed because of the Australian government's National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines 2024 policy that was developed after the royal commission into the aged care sector.

The fresh guidelines meant the Salvation Army was required to make internal changes to the planned aged care centre to make it more accessible and dementia-friendly.

"The principles and guidelines help support aged care homes to be safe and comfortable so that people living there can be more independent, function better and enjoy themselves," the modification application said.

"They also aim to make workplaces safer for staff to provide high-quality care. The design changes will help make aged care homes feel less like hospitals and clinics and more like places where residents can feel at home."

The proposed changes include improved sightlines in the kitchen, positioning communal spaces such as living and dining areas closer to bedrooms, distributing communal spaces throughout the facility and creating more privacy in the centrally located entrance.