“The Willows”, at 11b McFarland Road, Wodonga, is a council-owned building and is home to aged care services for our community.
Since 2013, these services have been provided by Westmont Aged Care Services.
The building was constructed by the council, using Victorian Government funding, specifically to deliver aged care services.
In 2013, when the council decided to no longer provide Home and Community Care (HACC) services Westmont Aged Care Services won the tender and has since provided those services, leasing the building and land from the Department of Health (DOH).
The department has notified the council that it no longer wishes to hold the lease for the building and land.
At its September meeting, council resolved to sell the building and land to Westmont for a peppercorn amount for $1, including conditions that:
- The land must be used as an older person’s integrated site;
- The council has first right of refusal in the event the purchase wishes to sell or transfer the land;
- The land would revert back to council ownership if the purchaser ceased to operate aged care services from the site; and,
- The council has the right to effect a re-transfer of the land if the purchaser breaches any of its obligations under the agreement (for $1)