HEALTH HUB ON THE AVENUE

The Health Hub on The Avenue is an exciting project for Corumbene, and a step forward in supporting our vision for the community. Taking care of each other is fundamental to the fabric of who we are and where we have come from.

Corumbene was conceived in 1966 from a small group of industrious, community focussed volunteers. They had identified a need to support our more senior community members who were at risk of ‘falling through the gaps’ due to the lack of services in the Derwent Valley.

Corumbene continues to follow this path with a broad community focus. Whilst always supporting the care we provide to our residents and the other community services we currently deliver, including the Rural Primary Health Program and Help at Home, we aim to support and facilitate, wherever possible, improvement in Health and Wellbeing services in the Derwent Valley and the greater region.

Just as the volunteers identified back in the sixties, Corumbene has a lot to offer to continue to support and improve care services within the community.

Corumbene has embarked on an important project at The Avenue, restoring and repurposing the Derwent and Esperance buildings. The site is one of the best positioned in New Norfolk; a block from High Street, next door to Woolworths and the Willow Court Precinct, and just over the Lachlan River from our main premises in Lower Road. The project will support an integrated range of community health and wellbeing services at its core.

They may look a bit worse for wear at the moment, but the buildings are structurally solid and will be restored to set a new standard for health services and office space in the Derwent Valley. The site will include an atrium joining the buildings with a café, and a large landscaped open space for the public. The completed buildings will add value to the New Norfolk streetscape, attract visitors to the area, and anchors the precinct, attracting further development in the town.

We have been fortunate to have received grants under the Federal Government’s Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) and State Government’s
Building Projects Support Program (BPSP), as well as a low-interest loan under the State Government’s Building Construction Support Loan Scheme (BCLS) to supplement Corumbene’s contribution and make this project a reality. We have been talking with stakeholders in the Healthcare field to bring services to The Avenue and expand health services within the community, including enhanced GP access.

Expressions of interest will be sought early in 2022 and we hope to be able to announce our health services partners in the middle of 2022. The project team has been working together over the last six months to work on the design and carry out pre-building works such as engineering, electrical and plumbing studies to ascertain the work required in the project.

Construction works commence on February 1st, beginning with essential site works, clean-up, limited demolition, and the final design and scoping for the buildings. We are aiming to open the doors in December 2023, and there is a lot of work to do to make that a reality.

There will be ongoing community awareness and engagement sessions throughout the process to keep the community informed of our progress and future plans. The most recent event was held at Corumbene Care on December 6th and people were encouraged to provide their ideas and feedback.

There are also plans for residential units to be built on the site that comprises the former sites of the Franklin and Glenora Wards. We will keep you informed as plans progress.

Written by David Bromfield,
Business Development Project Officer