$9m plans for North Hobart Peacock Centre as part of a $104m govt mental health plan

A Hobart medical facility that was subject to an arson attack in 2016 will be redeveloped into a $9.24 million community-based hub as part of a $104 statewide blitz.

• Arsonist David Leslie Chandler a risk to public safety, judge says
• Peacock Centre destroyed by fire

CONSTRUCTION of a new integrated mental health hub in Hobart is expected to begin before the end of the year to replace a centre ruined by fire almost four years ago.

A Public Works Committee hearing into the redevelopment of the Peacock Centre at North Hobart was held on Wednesday.

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In December 2016, the centre was left unusable after an arson attack.

A jury later found David Leslie Chandler guilty of setting fire to the Elphinstone Rd facility after he splashed fuel inside the building and set it alight.

Chandler, a diagnosed schizophrenic, was sentenced to a prison term and an indefinite period of detention at the Wilfred Lopes secure mental health centre.

Since the fire, services provided at the centre have mostly been offered at St Johns Park, New Town.

The $9.24 million redevelopment of the Peacock Centre will provide a 12-bed wing for short-term stays for people who need extra care or integration back into the community following a hospital stay.

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It will include the restoration of the heritage-listed existing building, known as Ruardean, and the construction of a new, modern, timber clad extension.

At the committee hearing, Department of Health chief psychiatrist Aaron Groves said the hub would provide a range of services during the day as well not just for mental health, but also housing, social and employment services.

Dr Groves said a “safe haven space” would be used for assessment and treatment as an alternative to an emergency department.

He said the new facility would also be home to a ‘recovery college,’ which would be a first of its kind for the state educational program with experts as well as people with lived experience.

“It will have a homelike environment throughout, encouraging people to visit, which is a point of difference to hospital environments which tend not to be welcoming,” he said.

Dr Groves said the expected average length of stay of patients would be between 7-10 days and the facility would be staffed 24/7, which was not the case previously.

Department of Health capital works infrastructure services project manager Mark Leis told the committee tenders would be sought by the end of the month for a builder and construction is expected to begin in late November.

Project architect Peter Scott, of local firm Xsquared Architects, said the new facility had been

designed to reduce stigma so patients “don’t feel like a pawn in the system” and a cafe in the safe haven space would also be open to the broader community.

The committee retired to consider the submission.

Originally published as $9m plans for North Hobart Peacock Centre as part of a $104m govt mental health plan