Seniors housing crisis threat looming: Property Council of Australia

Seniors housing crisis threat looming: Property Council of Australia
Michael CrawfordDecember 7, 2020

The Property Council of Australia is driving the development of retirement villages due to the level of Australians aged over 65 expecting to double in the next ten years.

A new report released by the Property Council in conjunction with research firm RPS, titled The Five A's of Retirement Living, recommends a suite of actions to promote retirement villages investment that includes setting retirement living housing targets, fast-tracked approvals and making retirement living a permissible development in all residential zones.

Mary Wood, executive director of Retirement Living said by 2025, the demand for retirement living accommodation for people aged over 65 years is expected to double. But at the current rate of development, there simply will not be enough supply of retirement communities to meet demand.

“The rapid increase in the number of older Australians needs to be matched by an increased determination by politicians and town planners to support the development of more seniors housing,” she said.

“Purpose-built homes in retirement communities that are well located and expressly designed to support older Australians to be happy, independent and socially engaged is an important goal – but not one that our planning systems are well placed to achieve."

The report contains a suite of recommendations for state and local governments, including:

  • Policies that incentivise the integration of villages with the general community; 
  • Development yield improvements including car parking flexibility, landscape area reductions and lower open space infrastructure charges; and
  • Rate rebates for retirement village dwellings. 

 

Michael Crawford

Michael is the real estate reporter for western Sydney and loves writing about homes and the people who live in them. A former production editor and news journalist, he enjoys writing about real-world property purchases as well as aspirational buys and builds. Following a recent move from Sydney’s northern beaches, Michael now actually enjoys commuting.

Editor's Picks