A LONG-dormant corner of Maylands will be turned into a $40million aged care facility, and the iconic heritage-listed servo out front will be preserved and turned into an activity room.

Built in 1931 and closed nearly 10 years ago, Williamson’s Motor House on Guildford Road is heritage listed for its rare Mediterranean influences and Moorish themes which reference the 13th century Islamic fortress Alhambra in Spain. The state heritage council says “this place is a fine example of a theme approach to service stations, which was once much more common and is now something of a rarity”.

Empty and suffering from graffiti taggers for close to a decade, it’ll now have new life with a six-storey aged care facility built behind it, unanimously approved by the joint development assessment panel on July 4

It’ll be operated by Craigcare Aged Homes and include a specialised memory support unit on the ground floor to cater for increasing numbers of people with dementia. 

The area has been identified as needing more accommodation for the rising elderly population, and the applicants say opening it “will enable current residents of Maylands and Bayswater to age-in-place” without having to move far from home.