An open letter from Dr Nicky Howe 

The Southcare Board has made the difficult decision to place the Mankara development project on hold and cancel all buyer contracts on the grounds of it being financially unviable. 

Quite simply, building a development during the peak of WA’s construction boom coupled with the effects of COVID-19 means trades and materials are in short supply and high demand and the escalating prices is something we cannot match. 

Building, labour and material costs have escalated by 40% over the last 10 months and the tender estimate presented to the Board to build Mankara was unanimously rejected on those grounds. 

All buyers have been contacted and full refunds of their deposits are being arranged.  I am speaking with all stakeholders (of which there are many) and the project team are in the process of removing all marketing materials associated with the development. 

While the project model and the benefits it brings to the community for accessible over 55s housing are still extremely viable, unfortunately, at this time, the increasing costs to build and current economic conditions mean we can’t proceed at this time. 

There have been many people involved in this project and I am truly grateful to each of them.  We commenced this project in 2012 to address a community need, and to see it placed on hold indefinitely is truly heart-breaking. The housing crisis is very real. 

Over the coming weeks, the Southcare Executive and Board will discuss options at a strategic planning process to determine the most appropriate strategies to address community needs. At this stage the Mankara display sales suite will remain closed and our Community Services team will continue to operate as usual. 

As always, I welcome any questions you may have and can be contacted on the number below.

Dr Nicky Howe
Chief Executive Officer
9450 6233