Geelong retirement village plans multimillion-dollar expansion
A Geelong retirement village is planning $2.1m of works to create more diverse and affordable housing.
Geelong
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A Geelong retirement village is making plans to expand in a bid to help address a need for diverse and affordable housing options.
Ingenia Gardens in St Albans Park has submitted a planning application for nine new units at its Townsend Rd site.
The estimated cost of development is $2.1m.
The village is known for low-maintenance rental units in a gated community for people aged 55 and older.
A planning application stated the provision of nine extra units would allow the organisation to “better respond to the need for affordable and diverse housing options in established urban areas”.
“We are delighted to submit this planning permit amendment application for minor buildings and works to facilitate the amenable and more efficient utilisation of the site,” it read.
The area for the new units currently comprises 33 car parks, a shed, garden beds and several trees.
The current planning permit allows for 110 residential units for seniors accommodation, two caretakers residences and community centres.
The application proposes nine single-level, two-bedroom, self-contained units, with living, dining, kitchen and bathroom areas, and a single carparking space for each unit.
The 33 existing car parks would be removed and 12 non-indigenous trees would also be removed, but replaced with some landscaped areas.
The application, lodged with Geelong council, stated the proposed works would enhance the functionality of the site to meet community needs while not impacting the broader existing character of neighbouring accommodation or streetscape.
“The proposed units will facilitate additional stock of a specialised accommodation form, providing a diverse housing option and an important part of the housing mix for the local community,” it read.
“Communal facilities for dining, socialising and relaxing within the broader site, will continue to be accessible to future occupants of the proposed units.”
The application documents included an arborist report, landscape plan, traffic impact assessment and sustainable design assessment.
The traffic assessment concluded the reduction from 82 to 59 carparking spaces would be sufficient and the anticipated additional traffic volumes generated by the expansion were expected to have a minimal impact on the operation of the surrounding road network.
The sustainability assessment found the proposal to be best practice.
The application is open for public comment on the City of Greater Geelong website.
Ingenia Gardens did not respond to the Geelong Advertiser’s request for comment.
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