Planning Panel succumbs to pressure on retirement village redevelopment

The redevelopment of one of the oldest retirement villages on the Central Coast, Uniting Nareen Gardens Lodge at Bateau Bay, was finally approved in late November 2022 by the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel but with a substantially reduced footprint – to satisfy complaining residents in the surrounding area.

Originally planned to comprise 232 independent units the Panel finally approved 180 units.

The area surrounding Nareen Gardens has numerous retirement villages, many established in the 1960s, supporting less well-off seniors. However, the Planning Panel failed to consider the Coast’s housing crisis and need to accommodate people in need of suitable a housing.

The revised masterplan will now include inter alia:

• 160 bed residential aged care home,

• 186 retirement and independent living apartments (20% reduction), Buildings 1, 2 and 5 have been reduced to 2-3 storeys, building 6 is reduced and building 4 has been removed,

• Buildings have been moved further away from boundaries t reduce ‘overshadowing’,

The Planning Panel also added a number of additional conditions to satisfy the whims of surrounding residents most of whom moved into the area in recent years.

UnitingCare Australia is one of the largest not-for-profit community service providers in Australia and is the primary service and advocacy arm of the NSW and ACT Synod of the Uniting Church of Australia.