Care housing complex set for makeover and expansion plan
LOS ANGELES: A care housing complex is now set for a makeover and a major footprint expansion.
IRT Group has secured approval for a State Significant Development Application at flagship community Woonona Place in the Illawarra region of New South Wales.
The 100-bed Flame Tree residential aged care home will undergo a major redevelopment as part of the $122 million project.
The upgrades to the seniors living precinct will support around 240 residents, with the aged care home to be co-located with 92 new two- and three-bedroom independent living residences.
These residences will be spread across five buildings, with the revamped precinct also featuring a social and wellness centre, indoor hydrotherapy pool, gym, resident clubhouse, library, landscaped gardens and open green spaces.
The heritage-listed on-site church at the Flame Tree home will be transformed into a restaurant.
IRT chief executive officer Ross Gallagher said the SSDA approval was an important step in evolving how people are supported as they age.
“Woonona Place is about elevating how we deliver housing for an ageing population so people can live with greater independence, connection and confidence as their needs change,” he said.
People aged 75 and over are the fastest-growing demographic in NSW, Mr Gallagher said, but the construction of seniors housing has not kept pace with demand.
“This redevelopment responds to that challenge by bringing together contemporary retirement living and residential aged care into one thoughtfully designed precinct,” he said.
The precinct also reflects the broader shift in how Australians wish to age, with retirees being more active, independent, design-conscious and lifestyle-focused than before.
“They’re looking for communities that support connection, wellbeing and choice – not just care – and that’s exactly what Woonona Place has been designed to deliver,” Mr Gallagher said.
Construction is set to begin later this year.