Palm Island Health Care Centre
RPS has supported the Queensland Government to improve access to health care services on Palm Island through the development of the Palm Island Health Care Centre.
Challenge
As part of the Palm Island Health Action Plan 2018-2028, the Queensland Government and Townsville Hospital Health Services committed to building a new primary health care facility for the remote island community.
Without the centre, residents faced a nearly two-hour ferry ride to Townsville to access primary health care on the mainland.
Solution
Understanding that local zoning regulations wouldn't allow for the health care centre to be constructed on the chosen site, RPS was engaged to prepare and lodge a Development Application (DA) seeking to have the relevant land rezoned for this new use. This process involved:
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Thorough checking of the proposal against the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Planning Scheme 2016
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Liaising with council-approved town planners
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Negotiating an approved range of essential services including general medicine, maternal and child health, social and emotional wellbeing, oral health, and consulting rooms for visiting medical specialists.
Our team also negotiated car parking rates, shared access arrangements, car parking and loading design, and cultural heritage matters.
As a result of RPS’ previous work on Palm Island and our specific efforts towards the approval of this development, the Palm Island Primary Health Care Centre officially opened in April 2019.
