Multimillion-dollar community health hub scrapped from Mt Barker city centre project

A multimillion-dollar community health hub has been scrapped from a city centre project in the Adelaide Hills.

A $25 million community health hub has been axed from a proposed city centre development for Mt Barker after its operator pulled out of the project.

It is the latest shake-up for the proposed project, which was revised just months ago after locals called for a multi-storey car park be dropped from the plan, alongside other changes.

Under the plan, a town square, retail, a hotel and other amenities would be developed on a 12,000sqm site next to Hutchinson and Morphett streets.

Mt Barker District Council partnered with developers Burke Urban Investments (BUI) for the project, which saw disability services provider Community Living Australia (CLA) come onboard in 2022.

The organisation planned to operate social care, disability and allied health services out of a multi-storey building and bring its new head office to the facility.

The hub was expected to form part of the first stage of the city centre project but in June, Community Living Australia told developers there had been “a change in circumstances”, council documents say.

The revised Mount Barker City Centre masterplan.

Community Living Australia acting chief executive Karin Barry told The Advertiser that its board decided to defer any major investment decisions because of the “rapid transformation of the NDIS”, which is expected to “shape the future of the organisation”.

“(CLA) will therefore not be involved in the next phase of the Mount Barker City Centre Project,” she said.

“The CLA Board believes that the level of investment required for this project is not advisable in the current economic climate.

“The CLA Board will consider future opportunities for a purpose-built space in the Mount Barker region when external factors stabilise.”

While the organisation has exited the project it will continue to operate from its existing office in Mt Barker.

A Mt Barker District Council spokesman said both the council and BUI remain committed to the city centre development.

“The revised master plan retains earlier commitments for new community spaces, offices, retail areas, accommodation, a council-owned civic building and substantial car parking areas,” he said. CLA’s withdrawal from the project means that the large multi-storey office accommodation building has all together been scrapped from the plan.

The Mount Barker City Centre project master plan prior to the exit of Community Living Australia.

Other proposed changes outlined in a revised master plan include the provision of a mix of retail and office space along Hutchinson Street “alongside a highly-active new retail strip north of the town square”, a re-worked flexible council civic and co-working building, to be located on council owned land, and the removal of a dedicated and stand-alone community hub.

In response to community feedback, council proposed to also expand the town square from 1,500 sqm to 2,000 sqm.

Council did not comment on what the changes mean for the cost of the city centre project.

“The revised master plan will form the basis of a further round of community engagement on the city centre project’s community facilities and final design of the town square,” a spokesman said.

The revised plans are expected to be discussed by elected members at next week’s monthly council meeting.