Council supports medical development

Tina Perinotto
409 words
6 July 2005
Australian Financial Review
First
58
English
© 2005 Copyright John Fairfax Holdings Limited. www.afr.com Not available for re-distribution.

Hospitals of Australia founder Grant Smith and Michael McGrath's Cortez Enterprises have teamed with Hurstville Council to develop a $100 million medical office building and same-day surgery centre at Hurstville in Sydney's southern suburbs.

The deal, over a council-owned car-park site at the corner of Queens Road and Dora Street, involves the council swapping its land in return for 150 spaces and some shops.

According to Hurstville Mayor, Joanne Morris, the move fits well with the council's determination to create more jobs for the centre.

The development, which is still at the planning stage, will include a comprehensive same day surgery centre with six operating theatres and endoscopy suites.

On completion it will accommodate more than 120 doctors, dentists and other medical personnel, and will include a full range of services such as radiology and nuclear medicine, a full-service pathology laboratory, a wide range of therapies including physiotherapy and pharmacy, and durable medical equipment.

A 450-space car park would include the council's component.

Cortez will offer the medical suites for sale on a strata-title basis, with up to 100 per cent finance for medical practitioners.

Cr Morris said a council officer was assigned to the project as advocate to iron out red tape and to act as intermediary between the planning department and the development application.

"We're serious about getting jobs in Hurstville," she said.

A seminar last year that included planning expert Ed Blakely, Australand chief Brendan Crotty and the Property Council recommended that the council focus on how best to achieve a point of difference in terms of public amenity to attract commercial activity.

The suggested strategy for the council was to view office and industrial parks as the major competitors for tenants not regional centres such as Chatswood and Parramatta.

As part of this work the council is planning to relocate its council building and enlarge the central public park.

Cr Morris said the state government had recognised that in terms of medium density residential development "Hurstville was cooked".

Now it was time to promote more job-creating development.

Mr Smith said Hurstville had a bright future and was in the same league as Chatswood. The biggest surprise about the centre was that it had been overlooked for so long, he said.

Cortez is looking for other medical development opportunities.

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