Quest, private hospital, railway crossing to be debated

Bloomfield Medical Centre is seeking consent to fit out its surgery and ward levels, with approval recommended.

The work, valued at $4.9 million and $4.1 million respectively, will cover seven operating theatres on level four of the hospital building and 34 single bed wards on level three, plus associated support spaces and facilities.

Meanwhile, Eastern Developments, which built Quest Apartments in Kite Street, has asked to delete tiling on some of the ground floor shopfronts and screens linking balconies the council insisted on after a brighter colour scheme was chosen.

Development services director Mark Hodges said in the report the applicant had departed from previously approved plans.

"It is disappointing that some of the variations that the applicant seeks approval for relate to works that they originally proposed to offset specific impacts of the development on its surroundings," he said.

However Eastern Developments director Jim Saran said modifications had been lodged for changes to the design as needed and Quest's request not to include the screens needed to be taken into account.

"If our client doesn't want it on there, they don't want it on there," he said.

The council is set to approve the changes, except for the screens where only one section would be deleted.

Mayor Reg Kidd will also ask to reopen the level railway crossing across Margaret Street, saying much had changed since it was closed off after a train hit a car.

"There has been a number of developments including the subdivision behind the showgrounds and the development of Waratahs to the north," he said.

"Re-opening this crossing would relieve the pressure on the Dalton Street crossing and be cheaper than any other proposed new crossings as the formation is still there."

The proposal could face a hurdle with the state government, with Transport for NSW previously telling the Central Western Daily on a proposal for a March Street crossing the department was opposed to more level crossings on safety grounds.