Burke Urban Investments (BUI) has entered into a Development Management Agreement with not-for-profit Community Living Australia (CLA) to design and build a social care and community health services hub and new offices within the Mount Barker City Centre Project.

The planned new, $25 million building is part of the first stage of BUI’s Mount Barker City Centre Project’s multi-staged development, with construction set to commence in mid-2023.

The 4-storey building with living green walls, will feature ground floor social care, allied health and disability services with day services for clients and administration on the upper levels, and a publicly accessible rooftop garden for functions and events.

It will see CLA centralising and integrating its administration and key client services and create new local services to provide more convenient access for its clients and the community.

The social care and health services hub will be a one-stop shop for CLA clients and the wider community including physiotherapists, speech therapists, psychologists, and cognitive behaviour therapists, reducing the need to travel to access multiple services.

In addition, the hub will include facilities to develop a new skills-based training platform to create employment opportunities for people with disability and address the under-supply of a skilled workforce in the health, social care and support sector.

It’s estimated that up to 100 direct and indirect jobs will be created following completion of the new building, providing additional local employment for people who want to live and work locally in Mount Barker.

Burke Urban Investments will retain ownership of a ground-level strip of retail spaces which will border the upper piazza and town square.

Burke Urban Investments Director Kym Burke, believes the partnership perfectly aligns with the project’s objectives, with the new CLA building providing an important activated interface with the Town Square, helping to create vibrancy and viability of the proposed retail precinct in a building designed with advanced technology and sustainability at its core.

“CLA is a perfect fit for this project as they live and breathe the key values and themes that underpin this once-in-a generation project. CLA is committed to holistic wellbeing, with a strong community spirit and aims to create a completely inclusive community within their new building that will develop opportunities for people living with disability to be genuinely respected, valued and actively involved and included in the community,” Kym said.

Community Living Australia CEO Mark Kulinski, says the long-term investment will benefit its existing clients and help to better integrate people living with a disability in the Mount Barker community.

“Community Living Australia has selected the new Mount Barker City Centre as the site for its new head office to provide convenient, centralised services, helping clients to access all the services they need and utilise more of their NDIS funding.

“It will also help address the current shortage of allied health services in the Mount Barker area, ultimately boosting the availability of vital services in the community,” Mark explained.

Community Living Australia has worked with a leading architects City Collective to ensure that the planned building is well-designed and will enhance the wider Mount Barker City Centre Project.

Community Living Australia has lodged its plans for development approvals and grant funding will be sought to support the delivery of the full project vision.

The Mount Barker City Centre Project Master Plan which was unveiled late in 2021 is a staged development proposing a town square providing a focal point for a hotel, residential units, a market shed combined with vibrant retailing for artisans and food and beverage outlets as well, as well as integrated community and civic facilities.

To stay up to date on the City Centre project, or to ask further questions visit the project’s temporary City Centre Project Page web page.

Media enquiries please contact: Belinda Petersen, BPR, 0402 358 000 or belinda@bpublicrelations.com.au