Community
10 April, 2025
Negotiations underway for retirement village site
NEGOTIATIONS are underway to purchase land earmarked for the development of a new retirement village in Terang, with a commitment of support from a federal candidate.
Independent candidate for Wannon Alex Dyson met with Terang Aged Care Future chair Chris O’Connor and member Des McKinnon last week to discuss options.
Speaking with Western District Newspapers at the meeting, Mr O’Connor and Mr McKinnon revealed the group has been eyeing a plot of land on the outskirts of Terang as a potential location for the plans to develop a retirement village.
As Western District Newspapers has previously reported, the Terang Aged Care Future collective undertook a business case study which highlighted the development of a state-run aged care facility in Terang would be a long-term goal due to the lack of available resources.
Terang Aged Care Future then pivoted to the concept of developing a retirement village, which was more viable as a short-term option.
Mr O’Connor said the specifics of the land which has been identified will remain confidential while negotiations continue, but felt the community would be pleased with the site as it aligns with the scope of the vision discussed in previous community consultation.
“We’re currently negotiating with a local landholder on the edge of town for a piece of land,” he said.
“Those negotiations are progressing well and we hope to be able to announce our preferred piece of land and have a contract signed within months.”
Mr O’Connor said Terang Aged Care Future would be seeking a $300,000 federal commitment to get the project shovel ready for development.
“Now that we’re close to acquiring land, our next step is to get the project ready so we’re attractive to prospective operators and further government grants,” he said.
Mr O’Connor said while bringing new residential aged care beds to Terang remained important, he felt the more achievable short-term goal of developing a retirement village would support older residents living in the community longer and providing a central location for in-home aged care services to be provided.
“The village will be different to residential aged care, such as what we have at the hospital, but this is about people’s lifestyle,” he said.
“Being able to downsize in to a supported community, and spend their aging years in town, in their local environment, and these facilities make it quite easy to service people with home-care packages and support methods to keep them out of the last-resort of residential aged care.
“It fits in well because there’s no facility like this is the shire, which is part of why the Corangamite Shire Council has been supporting the project strongly.
“If and when it happens, they’ll partner us with the project.”
Mr O’Connor said he was excited for the next stages of the proposal, which had strong support from the community.
“There’s a structure plan happening in Corangamite Shire at the moment, and the forums which council held in Camperdown recently saw a lot of Terang people making their views known that this is an important issue for them,” he said.
“We’ve had several public forums in town and it’s been hugely supported.”
Mr Dyson praised the unique approach in which Terang Aged Care Future has worked with the wider community to cultivate a vision by locals, for locals.
“It’s been in discussions for months with not just Mr O’Connor but within our community hub in Terang – it’s one of Terang’s main priorities, alongside roads,” he said.
“That’s the beautiful thing as an independent – I answer to my community, not my party.
“It’s great to be able to support the unique needs of towns because too often from Canberra there has been a ‘one size fits all’ approach to aged care.
“Being able to listen to and work with the community on what they want is not only much needed, but it’s fit for purpose for what the Terang community wants.”
Mr Dyson said the project would “absolutely” have his full support if he is elected, and noted the Lyndoch Living fiasco which resulted in the closure of the May Noonan Aged Care Centre happened under the leadership of Dan Tehan.
“Aged care and the waiting list for care is something that has come up as one Wannon’s biggest issues, so I want to make sure communities aren’t going backwards,” he said.
“Terang had 55 aged care beds and it’s now down to 15 – that’s just not good enough in modern Australia.
“I’d be backing Terang Age Care Future 100 per cent if I’m elected to Canberra.”
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