Multi-million-dollar Marymead development to bring 85 extra units to Narrabundah

Marymead has traditionally supported vulnerable young people and their families but a multi-million-dollar project slated for the not-for-profit organisation’s Narrabundah site could house up to 85 retirees.

​Eight residential buildings and a two-storey administration building at Marymead’s Goyder Street premises will be demolished to make way for a new, larger centre with community facilities, plus three new supportive housing buildings, as part of a $37 million development.

The proposal, which has been lodged with the ACT Planning and Land Authority, includes plans to build 85 adaptable, independent living units for elderly residents as well as disadvantaged youth.

Marymead chief executive Camilla Rowland said the project, if approved, would be staggered, with the first lot of independent living units helping fund an overhaul of the organisation’s own facilities.

She said Marymead would own the units and work with other organisations to offer residents relevant services.

The model would be similar to a retirement village with individuals purchasing a license to live in the houses.

The 85 units will take up about three quarters of the 1.5-hectare Goyder Street site.

Ms Rowland said Marymead’s new purpose-built centre would include counselling rooms, as well as community facilities for training and events which could be rented by members of the public.

Three new cottages will provide short-term respite for young people with a disability or who have recently left hospital, as well as families who have travelled from regional areas to access services in the ACT.

“Marymead has considered for some time how we can build some purpose-built facilities for families and children,” Ms Rowland said. 

“Our facilities are almost 50 years old. We’ve expanded our organisation and services considerably over the last 50 years.”

If approved, construction is due to begin in 2017 and expected to take three years to complete.

Ms Rowland said the independent living units would meet a genuine need for supported housing in the ACT, as well as provide the organisation with a funding stream.

“We understand there’s a huge under-supply of these types of cottages for people over 55 in the inner-south region so, we’ve proposed to build [the] independent living units to create supported housing opportunities there,” she said.

“They are going to include things like a community vegetable garden, an orchard, and a few other things as well.”

Ms Rowland said the decision to fold Autism Asperger ACT services into a specialised autism unit run by Marymead was not one of the reasons for the expansion and the timing of the two projects was a coincidence.

The project isn’t the only one set to change the face of Goyder Street over the coming years, with another 100 dwelling sites to be released as part of the ACT government’s 2016-2017 land release program.

Ms Rowland said the design of the Marymead redevelopment, including the 85 units, took into account the character of the surrounding area.