The development application for the new Watson health precinct is now open for public feedback.

New specialist facilities will be built for Marymead CatholicCare’s youth mental health residential service and Ted Noffs Foundation’s alcohol and other drugs youth rehabilitation services.

A new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residential rehabilitation service facility will also be developed in partnership with Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services.

Alcohol and other drug addiction causes significant harm to individuals, families, and communities, with a disproportionate impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The establishment of a 24-bed residential facility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans will promote rehabilitation and recovery in a culturally safe and inclusive environment.

New facilities operated by Ted Noffs Foundation and Marymead CatholicCare will offer a modern welcoming environment to encourage positive outcomes for young Canberrans. Planning for the new precinct has accommodated for the future growth of the facilities.

“Detoxing and undergoing a rehabilitation episode at such a young age requires a very specific treatment intervention, and these new facilities will strengthen the current treatment programs on offer,” Ted Noffs Foundation’s National Programs Manager Lachlan Dean said.

“Being able to continue to work on the site we have been on for the last 23 years allows us to stay connected to this community.”

The development application for the precinct is available to view and comment on until 9 October 2023 on the Planning ACT website.

More information about the project is available on the Built for CBR website: builtforcbr.act.gov.au

^{Artist’s impression of the new facility.}

Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:

Subscribe to Our CBR