Mona Vale, Bassett St: Locals push back against $23m nursing home rebuild

A $23m plan to bulldoze and then double the size of a northern beaches nursing home in a residential street has upset some of the locals. Here’s the latest.

Plans have been drawn up to bulldoze the existing 63-bed Mona Vale House aged care facility in Bassett St, which used to be a conference and convention centre, and replace it with a new 118-bed facility. Picture: Supplied

Plans for a massive $23 million expansion of an established nursing home on the northern beaches have been revealed.

Owners of Mona Vale House want to increase the size of the aged care facility in Bassett St so it can double the number of beds from 63 to 118.

Thompson Health Care, which runs 16 nursing homes across Sydney and NSW, wants to demolish the existing building, just 350m from Mona Vale Beach, and replace it with a new two-storey structure, according to details in a development application lodged with Northern Beaches Council.

Two neighbouring houses, now owned by Thompson, would also be bulldozed to make way for the new facility.

An artist's impression of a proposed new 118-bed aged care facility — Bassett House — to replace the current 63-bed Mona Vale House in Bassett St, Mona Vale. Picture: Gartner Trovato Architects

It would employ 50 staff during the day across several shifts and have off-street parking for 38 cars.

A change of use to allow the original building, a former conference and convention centre, to be run as a nursing home was approved in July, 2005.

In April 2021, the original DA to demolish the existing structures and construct a residential aged care facility was approved by the council.

Then, in 2022, a modification to the DA to remove the requirement to build a footpath to a nearby bus stop was approved.

Locals complain that the new facility won’t fit in with the low density character of the area. Picture: Gartner Trovato Architects

The owners lodged a new, amended DA on July 9 that included some changes to the layout as well as the design of balconies and bay windows.

It was put on public exhibition earlier this month with submissions closing on Wednesday.

The original 2020 DA attracted close to 40 objections from locals.

In a joint submission prepared by town planning consultants, a group of nearby residents known as the Mona Vale Community Group complained that the new building would result in a “jarring streetscape impact” and was being built in an area zoned for “low density residential”.

An artist's impression of a proposed new 118-bed aged care facility. Picture: Gartner Trovato Architects

“The long, unarticulated length of this facade, is completely uncharacteristic of adjoining and nearby development,” the submission stated.

Locals also complained about the bulk and scale of the new building, that privacy of neighbouring homes would be compromised and that parking and traffic problems would increase.

Artist's impressions of a proposed new 118-bed aged care facility in Bassett St, Mona Vale. Picture: Gartner Trovato Architects

Adam and Nicole Byrnes wrote in their submission that the proposed development “is in complete contrast with keeping to the character of the existing neighbourhood”.

Britt Treloar predicted there would be an increase in noise generated from a “facility of this size especially with trucks (delivery, garbage, nursing home bus) reversing/beeping into nursing home at all hours”.

For more information and to make a submission click here.