Merimbula: $40m ‘Lakewood Lifestyle Village’ senior apartment complex proposed

A proposed $40m senior village – standing five storeys tall with water views in Merimbula – has divided opinion with some welcoming the plans, while others fear its potential impact on the town.

Artist impression of the 'Lakewood Lifestyle Village' in Merimbula.

A proposed $40m senior housing development on the state’s south coast has been met with both trepidation and positivity, as it could deliver much “needed” housing for retirees looking to downsize, but alter the feeling of the coastal town.

Merimbula could soon see the five-storey, 89 unit ‘Lakewood Lifestyle Village’, built on 83 Lakewood Dr, if the proposal is approved by the Bega Valley Shire council.

The building would be designed for the elderly, and have staff, social services and its own public transport system to make life easier for the retirees who would call the village home.

Coast Property Group Merimbula real estate agent Tammy Carroll said there was a need for more senior housing in the town.

“I come across a lot of people who are semi-retired, looking to fully retire, but they have to move interstate because there’s really nowhere for them to downsize into senior unit style housing on the south coast,” she said.

Coast Property Group Merimbula realtor, Tammy Carroll.

“I know a lot of elderly people in the area who go on waiting lists to get into the few senior housing areas we have because there just isn’t enough, which is why they move.”

Ms Carroll said the new development, if approved, would only be a band aid solution to the problem.

Artist impression of the 'Lakewood Lifestyle Village' in Merimbula.

“It’s a start,” she said. “We will need more of this because, Merimbula is a retiree town with no where for retirees to downsize.”

Despite being a positive development, Ms Carroll said the proposal was a double edged sword which hadn’t come without its fair share of criticism and controversy.

“While I think this is the beginning of a solution to a major problem, I have heard of a couple people who have sold their units on Lakewood Dr because the development will cover up their water views,” she said.

One of these Merimbula residents upset about the proposed development is Henry Foster, who said he moved to the town to get away from the city atmosphere.

“That worked out well, didn’t it,” he said. “I moved here from Melbourne because I just wanted to live in a small coastal town, but now it seems like the idea of a small coastal town living along NSW is starting to disappear.”

Mr Foster said he and his wife were looking at moving again.

“We didn’t want to, but when you have huge developments like this new one on Lakewood Dr coming in, it won’t be long before the whole town is filled with them,” he said.

Artist impression of the 'Lakewood Lifestyle Village' in Merimbula.

Lakewood Lifestyle Village plans:

The five-storey $40m apartment complex, if approved, will sit on Lakewood Dr at Merimbula and overlook the water.

HDC Planning senior associate Ivan Kokotovic, who lodged the plans with council, described the structure as an “aesthetically pleasing and contemporary addition” to the town.

“It will contribute to the immediate area of Merimbula within the local government area of the Bega Valley Shire, providing 89 senior housing, independent living units, including staff and administration support, all with high levels of social and recreational amenity, in proximity to access local services,” Mr Kokotovic said.

“And, despite a lack of public transport, an exclusive minibus service will be provided for residents to access local services in Merimbula.”

Community submissions close for the proposed development on the Bega Valley Shire website next month.