Plans to convert a home on MacBeath Avenue into a cancer support treatment centre, have cleared another hurdle.

A public hearing was held this week during Moncton City Council.  Concerns over parking and fencing were addressed.

Urban Planner Dylan Geldart says a rezoning application was received from the Friends of the Moncton Hospital Foundation.  To facilitate the project as proposed, the Administration proposed the site be rezoned from R2 (Two Unit Dwelling) to P1 (Community Use).

“The owner Sheila Bannon has generously offered to donate the lands to the Friends of the Moncton Hospital, provided that the property is successfully rezoned for the Cancer Support Facility. The applicant, Friends of the Moncton Hospital has partnered with an Ontario-based non-profit organization, Wellspring Cancer Support Foundation which provides not only the programming but the training materials. These services would then be delivered by Friends of the Moncton Hospital Foundation at the MacBeath location,” City of Moncton Urban Planner Dylan Geldart says.

The applicant has specified that the centre would accommodate no more than 15 people on the site at any given time. The treatment centre would be open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the evening, and be closed on holidays and most weekends.

“From a planning perspective, this type of treatment centre makes a lot of sense in this location. It’s located on the fringe of an existing residential neighbourhood, which helps buffer some of the operational activities associated with its use, but it’s also within close walking distance of the Moncton Hospital, which helps create a hub for more comprehensive care for people who are dealing with cancer,” Geldart adds..

Services may include financial counselling, art therapy, group support sessions, and exercise classes.