Dubbo Residential Rehabilitation Centre progresses to Development Application

The Development Application will now be prepared by Dubbo Regional Council for public exhibition before going to the Western Region Planning Panel, the consent authority for the project. The Panel will consider submissions made during the exhibition process before making a determination.

In June, a pop-up design exhibition was held at the Dubbo Square Shopping Centre, followed by guided tours of the Spears Drive site, led by Fulton Trotter Architects.

Mark Spittal, WNSWLHD Chief Executive, thanked community members for taking the time to attend the events, where they were able to learn more about the Centre’s concept design and architectural planning and provide their feedback.

“Input from our community continues to be incredibly important to this project and we value all the feedback we have received immensely. The response we received on the Centre’s concept design at these events was overwhelmingly positive,” Mr Spittal said.

“In computer-generated images the community was able to see what the facility may look like and how it will fit into the existing streetscape, using materials and colour schemes similar to what we see in the neighbourhood already.

“The floorplan and maximum height of the facility was also marked out on the site for our guided tours, which provided a more tangible vision of aspects we know are important to the community, like where it will be located on the site and how far it will be set back from the street.

“Importantly, the community was able to get more specific insight into our how their input from the first round of consultations in March helped to inform the design. For example, based on that feedback, we relocated the facility from the southern side to the centre of the site.

“Relocating the facility to be set back further from the street will help ensure the privacy of future residents.

“Our community also provided feedback and input on how the centre will operate. We understand there may be concerns around aspects like security, and they will be important considerations as the tender process for the facility’s operator is developed by NSW Health.”

Mr Spittal said NSW Public Works and architects Fulton Trotter used the feedback received during the events to finalise the Centre’s design, which has been submitted alongside specialist reports as part of the project’s Development Application.

More information about the project, including summaries of the design process and consultation activity undertaken so far, is available on the Urban Talk project listing: www.urbantalk.com.au/projects/dubbo-aod