Retirees forced to leave retirement village following development plan
THEY fought a David and Goliath battle against NSW Vasey Housing Association but Richard Best and Stephen Baume will soon be forced to leave their retirement village at Waitara.
Hornsby
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hornsby. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THEY fought a David and Goliath battle against NSW Vasey Housing Association but Richard Best and Stephen Baume will soon be forced to leave their retirement village at Waitara.
Mr Best and Mr Baume were in the frontline for more than 18 months when they fought to stay in their homes at Waitara Ave.
The site is earmarked for a $45.5 million, high-rise complex with 117 units.
But after an unsuccessful battle in the NSW Civil and Adminstrative Tribnal hearing over their lifetime leasing contracts, the two mates will be moved to a replacement home at Epping.
“We both had a lifetime leasing contract with the Vasey Housing Association and this tribunal outcome reveals that these contracts are not worth the paper they were written on,” Mr Baume, 78, told the Advocate.
“Several years ago I paid top dollar to live here, close to my family and my grandchildren, social groups and public transport, and now we are being forced to leave, despite being told we could live here until we die.”
Mr Best said Vasey Housing claimed the cost was too high for the pair to be relocated to the refurbished Waitara seniors housing development once it was completed but agreed to relocate them to another facility.
“Thanks to the precedence set by this tribunal outcome, thousands of other lifetime lease holders across NSW could be at risk,” Mr Best, 72, said.
“Vasey have decided to change the model of this centre.
“They got a private certifier to approve a knockdown and now residents don’t have a leg to stand on.”
Vasey Housing chief executive officer Graham Hooper said the pair agreed to relocate to Vasey’s Epping Manor Village before February 28.
“The Vasey Housing Association is happy that Mr Baume and Mr Best have agreed to relocate to the Epping Manor Village and that a satisfactory outcome has been reached for all parties,” Mr Hooper said.
“The concept development approval for our new village on the existing village site at Waitara was received from the Sydney North Planning Panel on November 29.’’
The village is expected to be demolished in March.
WAITARA AVENUE PLAN APPROVED
A $45.5 MILLION, 12-storey seniors housing complex in the heart of Waitara has been approved by the Joint Regional Planning Panel.
The NSW Vasey Housing Association plan for a 117- unit high-rise tower was approved on November 29 after revision of works and approval recommendations from Hornsby Council.
Details of unit mix and layouts were not provided in the concept plan for the Waitara Ave site but it could include 17 one-bedroom, 90 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom units.
Several conditions were placed on the concept development application including maximum building height, compliance with apartment design guidelines, communal open space areas and investigation into contamination at the site.
IN OTHER NEWS
