As we hurtle towards Christmas, we can easily miss the opportunity to reflect on the past year, instead we decided to take the opportunity to look across the projects in process across the Flex office to recognise any emerging patterns. This year we have seen an increase in demand for independent town planning services within the healthcare, aged care and allied health sectors.
Why? We put it down to a few things – despite being in the middle of a housing crisis and cost of living challenges, our population continues to grow – and age, resulting in steady demand for healthcare, aged care and allied health services. At the same time, Flex’s growing portfolio in these sectors is making us more visible to potential new clients, while our long-term clients keep coming back to us time and again.
Town planning considerations for the healthcare, aged care & allied health sectors
While each project, healthcare and allied health businesses are unique, shaped by its environment and purpose, there are some common considerations for these forms of development, including:
- Access – To the site, to and within the building for users of varying mobility levels, staff and suppliers.
- Car parking– Balancing convenience with compliance and traffic flow within the site.
- Off-site traffic generation– Keeping local and arterial roads moving smoothly.
- Landscaping and amenity – Creating spaces that feel welcoming and serves a function, whether that be shade, stormwater filtration or simply moments to pause.
- Referrals – Anticipation of and liaison with referral bodies.
- Public notification– Preparation for the public notification of a planning application, managing any implications of representations made and providing a considered response.
These details might sound small, but they’re critical to successful projects.
On our desks right now
It’s interesting to note the variety of healthcare, aged care and allied health projects currently moving through the planning stage in the office—from simple change-in-use applications to large-scale developments.
Here’s a snapshot:
- Large scale seniors living community, Adelaide Hills – A multi-structured development centred around a new community garden and landscaped square, creating 60 homes/apartments of various sizes, all designed specifically for seniors. (Design by Fore Design)
- Medical Centre, South-eastern Adelaide – Alterations and additions to an existing medical centre, more specifically a second storey addition to facilitate an expansion of consulting rooms. The addition will include an additional nine consulting rooms and ancillary facilities for General Practitioner Doctors and a range of allied health professionals. (Design by Fore Design)
- Allied health consulting rooms, inner southern suburbs, Adelaide – Conversion of an existing residence into 4 allied health consulting rooms on primary arterial road. (Design by Three Six Five Studio)
- Medical Centre, Adelaide Hills – New medical and allied health centre of 12 consulting rooms over 3 individual tenancies on heavily sloped site. (Design by Fore Design)
- Consulting Rooms, Mount Barker – Expansion of existing medical and allied health practice into adjoining site, bringing number of consulting rooms overall to 16. (Design by Fore Design)
From the coast to the plains, hills and regions, healthcare, aged care and allied health are vital and growing sectors—and we’re proud to play our part in shaping it.
Collaboration That Saves Time and Money
One of the things that sets Flex apart is our close collaboration with Fore Design. Both the Fore and Flex teams have a wealth of experience in the healthcare, aged care and allied health sectors and offer their combined talents and insight to advise on the best way to maximise each site’s unique potential. Our shared office space means we can offer our clients end-to-end solutions. This synergy helps us:
- Detect potential challenges early in the process
- Streamline our approach – allowing us to be nimble in our response to authorities and design changes
- Reduce delays – tackling complexities as they arise
- Maximise site potential – combining planning insight with design expertise.
Already have an architectural team in place? No problem—we’re equally skilled at working alongside external partners.
Looking Ahead
Healthcare, aged care and allied health projects aren’t just a trend—they’re a necessity. As demand grows, so does the need for smart, effective town planning. At Flex, we’re ready to help clients navigate the process and bring their vision to life.
Contact us to discuss how we can help with your approvals.
