BaptistCare – a tier 2 community housing provider – is bringing a new residential aged care facility to Elderslie at 49 Lodges Road.

In March 2018, a concept DA was approved for 128-rooms and 46 retirement villas, but the now approved DA contains 96-beds in single occupancy rooms.

The site is already home to residents living in the existing 48 retirement village units and 175 seniors, single parents and children living in the community housing development.

A chapel, health clinic, café, salon, dementia gardens and internal courtyards will be included in the development.

Environmental sustainability features include electric vehicle charging stations for visitors.

The development is potentially nominated as ‘integrated development’, as the site contains a mapped watercourse (Herbet Rivulet) and works are proposed within 40m of the watercourse.

What this means is that the project might require a controlled activity approval under s 91 of the Water Management Act.

Grindley Construction – an Australian-owned building group focussing on aged care and retirement living – was appointed as the builder.

Camden Council forecasts that between 2016 and 2026, the region will experience a 57% increase in people of retirement age, with one in five residents over the age of 65.