Inside plans for new private Mackay Riverside Hospital
Here’s everything you need to know about the proposed 60-bed facility and why the developers are seeking approval to build higher than the existing hospital across the road.
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Plans have been lodged for a new 60-bed, six-storey private hospital in Mackay directly opposite an existing state-run facility.
The development proposal includes six intensive care rooms, five operating theatres, 11 medical consulting suites, a cafe and three ancillary tenancies intended to contain x-ray, pathology and a pharmacy.
The services will be split over six levels, including 154 car parks, with a total gross floor area of 8428m2.
Short Stay Private Hospitals has formed an alliance with ReNew Mackay for a facility they say will aim to complement healthcare already servicing the region.
A development application has been lodged with Mackay Regional Council for a material change of use at 476 Bridge Road, West Mackay – directly opposite Mackay Base Hospital.
There was until recently an existing unliveable home in the centre of the site but it has since been removed.
Mackay Base Hospital staff have been using the site for parking, with developers saying aerial photos suggest about 110 cars use the site daily.
“This project aims to complement and strengthen the healthcare options available to residents in Mackay and the wider region,” Short Stay Private Hospitals Director Leith MacMillan said.
“We want residents to receive excellent care close to home without having to travel to other parts of the state or country.
“This helps to reduce waitlists, attracts more specialists to the region and improves overall health outcomes.
“Health technology continues to change for the benefit of patients and we would look forward to working with the Mackay community.”
ReNew Mackay’s Craig Percival said the project added to the vision to improve the region’s offerings to residents.
“Mackay will grow and attract new economic activity if we continue to boost our essential services,” Mr Percival said.
“This healthcare project would be a quality addition to the region.
“ReNew Mackay is proud to link with these positive projects and we look forward to the next steps.”
Documents before the council list Dr Daniel Bartlett and Dr Jonathan Smith — both specialists at Mackay Base Hospital — as signatories for Riverside Hospital.
Documents submitted to the council say all components will “operate in essence as one large development; however, the three health care service uses on the ground floor can operate independently from the hospital”.
“The facility will operate 24 hours per day, seven days a week, though the health care services will likely contain their operating hours to normal business hours,” the documents read.
“The proposed hospital does not include an emergency department, so there will not be ambulances arriving on a regular basis under lights and sirens to drop off emergency patients. “Ambulances will access the site for patient transfers to and from the facility when required.”
Documents say proposed development in the Mixed Use zone MX1 Precinct must predominantly comprise ‘mixed use’ development including non-residential uses and residential uses.
“The development proposed in this application does not include any residential component, leaving aside the overnight accommodation that will occur as that is ancillary to the hospital use,” it reads.
“The zone code overall outcomes outline that uses in this location should include elements that would be compatible with and provide synergies to the Base Hospital.
“It is considered the development of a private hospital on a site adjacent to the Base Hospital will comply with these outcomes and provide greater overall benefits to the community than a residential component in the development would provide.
“Initial discussions with council officers also suggested the lack of a residential component in the development would not be seen as detrimental to the development proposed during assessment of the application.”
Mackay Hospital and Health Service says it has a long history of working with private providers to support the healthcare needs of the community.
When asked about whether an extra private hospital in Mackay would cause any staffing issues, Mackay HHS Chief Executive Lisa Davies Jones said recruitment and retention of staff in regional healthcare facilities was always a challenge.
“Our strategy is built on a ‘grow your own’ approach where we work closely with students and graduates of James Cook University and CQUniversity to provide training and employment opportunities,” she said.
“This is working particularly well with nursing where the majority of our graduate nurses employed every year are local graduates.”
A town planning report now before the Mackay council says “all constraints and potential issues associated with the development of the site” had been identified and addressed.
“The proposal generally complies with the relevant assessment criteria or there are sufficient grounds to otherwise justify the proposal,” it reads.
“The proposal presents a justifiable opportunity to improve the use of the land, guided by sound planning principles.
“Overall, it is considered the proposed development is a positive outcome for the subject site, and it is recommended for approval subject to reasonable and relevant conditions.
“The centre activities proposed will not compete with any existing centre activities in close proximity or the designated multi-purpose centre at Fourways.
“The proponents of the development are intending to fulfil a demand for additional health care facilities in the Mackay area.
“The development is the first in the precinct, with future development able to take guidance from this development in terms of layout and how to create an appropriate streetscape rhythm.”
BUILDING HEIGHT
The Mixed Use zone code details the maximum building height for development at the Bridge Road site should be 17m above ground level or five storeys.
The development proposes a ground level and five levels above but the developer says “due to the infrastructure required”, the overall height would be 26.4 (or 24.4m) above ground level depending on where the height is measured to (top of roof or plant room).
“While only one storey higher if using storeys as the relevant criteria, the building is 9.4m higher than the 17m height limit using the worst-case height measure,” documents read.
“The building will be the highest building in the area, as it would be effectively one storey higher than the highest of the Base Hospital buildings; however, given the existence of the Base Hospital the height of the building will not be out of character with buildings that already exist in the locality.
“Further, the building has been designed to ‘step away’ from the site boundaries adjacent to sensitive land use zones to ensure any potential impact from the building height is minimised.
“The proposed building height was raised with council officers during initial pre-lodgement discussions about the proposal,
“Officers considered that the proposed height would be supportable, especially as the facility would be providing car parking in excess of the scheme requirements.”
CAR PARKING
Parking issues have long plagued Mackay Base Hospital which has been using the site of the proposed hospital for parking for years.
Mackay Hospital and Health Service provides free car parking for patients, families, visitors and staff.
There are 1200 carparks at Mackay Base Hospital and the proposed hospital site is currently being used for about 110 cars belonging to Base Hospital staff, documents say.
Plans for the new facility include 154 standard car parks (13 ground level for staff, 68 on level 1 and 75 on level 2) as well as room for 11 bicycles.
The hospital developers are proposing to provide more car parking and bicycle storage facilities than required under the planning scheme.
Developers say the proposed private hospital on that site would not contribute to or worsen the existing parking situation in the surrounding area, instead arguing it could help “through providing additional parking that could possibly be made available to the public”.
“The applicants acknowledge there is a high demand for parking within the precinct and have made a deliberate decision to provide more parking than generated by the scheme requirements to ensure the new development does not contribute to any worsening of the current parking issue,” documents read.
“Based on a simple calculation of parking requirements, the development will be provided 19 additional car parking spaces; however, if the likely cross utilisation of the components of the development is considered it is likely that the number of surplus parking spaces would be much higher.”
Developers also argue potential cross utilisation between the two hospitals could reduce the estimated car parking demand of the new facility and would indicate “the loss of available car parking at the existing site is somewhat mitigated”.
MHHS is exploring solutions to the need for additional car parking in the short, medium and long term.
“We understand carparking is an important issue and that there is increasing demand for space at Mackay Base Hospital,” Ms Davies Jones said.
“Demand for carparks has increased due to the extra services we are providing, which in turn means we are employing more doctors, nurses and support staff.”
OVER-SHADOWING
Shadows will be cast from the proposed hospital over nearby residential properties in the afternoon.
For development to be compliant, no shadows can be cast from the building.
The developers conceded the shadows “would generally render the subject site incapable of development for the intensity intended by the zone code” but argued the sunlight available to the units “would be reasonable in the circumstances”.
“They will be impacted by shadows from any development that proposes a significant development on the subject site, even if compliant with the 17m maximum building height under the zone code,” documents read.
“To allow development of this site to proceed in any form will require the acceptance that shadowing will occur on the units to the east of the site.
“While acknowledging that shadowing will occur of the units from the proposed building, the performance outcome requires that the development maintain a ‘reasonable level of access to sunlight to adjoining residential areas’.
“These units will have access to sunlight from early morning until midday year-round.
“The shadowing provided to the adjoining units through the warmer summer months is likely to actually improve the liveability of parts of the units by removing the impact of direct summer sun on the western facade, thereby providing a cooling effect and reducing reliance on air-conditioning during the warmer months.”
DESIGN
The Riverview Hospital has been designed with architectural inspiration “drawn from the reflections from the Pioneer River that runs along its aspect”.
“The ever-changing seasons, colours and movement of the river’s water will be reflected within the architecture,” the proposal details.
“The chiselled facade elements bring texture and movement to the streetscape by delivering a bold profile to the podium levels to minimise the volume of the building.
“The materials of blue glass on the upper levels will add contrast by reflecting the surrounding water of the river and the harmonious sky above that takes advantage of its unique setting.
“The design narrative is based on the reflections of the river and its changing nature and appearance through the varying weather cycles seasons that are unique to Mackay.
“The design exploration considers the relationship between the landscape vegetation of the river’s edge and the colour and profile of the river banks throughout all weather seasons within the river’s evolving flows and cycles, drawing inspiration from the ever-changing river conditions, colours, and shapes.”
Short Stay Private Hospitals is an Australian-owned and funded organisation with experience in providing integrated models to communities.
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