Claydon Park Retirement Living and the Joint Regional Planning Panel

Tomorrow the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) will deliberate an outcome for the Claydon Park Retirement Complex a master planned village which will be home to 260 self care dwellings and an 80 bed residential care facility.

The proposal sits on Class 1 agricultural land next to the village of Milton at the bottom of the hill.

Council is supporting the application, but I believe that they haven't looked at the application in a strategic context for projected retirement living already planned for the area. This will be one of the points I will make in a presentation to the JRPP.

The proponent of this development has been working on this project for many years and has in my opinion given the town 'developer fatigue'-where he started out with a plan that was completely hideous, moved on to a manufactured homes park and then has turned out this proposal covered in real estate gloss promising a complex that will have everything a resident will ever need including a boutique dairy to produce ice cream, fruit and nut groves and a well being centre.

 Sounds appealing- but the likelihood of it ever coming to fruition is again in my opinion very slim. I think this way because this developer gave glamorous undertakings for one of his in town projects and has subsequently put the land with its plans on the market with a substantial mark up from the original purchase price. There was also the promise of the high care facility being the immediate need and therefore stage one.  For the first project gone are the promises of artisans using quality materials to build unique terrace homes with a quality retail element. This mode of operation can be seen all across NSW.

what is in the pipeline for aged care across Milton area

A recent extension to the existing retirement village.

An approved 80 bed high care facility just 5klms down the road.

A rezoning of  30hect to allow for retirement living (on more marginal agricultural land) again within 5 klms of the village.

Extra home care packages for people who wish to stay at home.

what is needed

More palliative care and the staff to operate.

Better planning so that smaller retirement units are clustered within existing residential areas giving older people a real connection to community.

Pressure from state government for those care packages that have been released but not in use to be activated.

Most Coastal towns and villages are heading in the direction of having more than 60% of their population over 60, we have a real challenge and obligation as planners to make sure that any new homes built today have doors and hallways wide enough for wheel chairs, reinforced walls for railings in bathrooms and at least one entry to the home accessible without stairs-you get the picture-just basic changes for adaptable housing. Adaptable Housing was not supported by Councillors as the cost made homes not affordable. It is far more affordable to prepare for change at the outset of a project than to retrofit a poorly designed house. If more buildings used higher standards it would soon be accepted as the norm.

The other challenge/obligation is to not forget that vibrant and functional communities are blended with all ages and stages not dense clusters of one archetype-this type of social engineering has failed before and will be destined to fail again as we just don't seem to learn from some of our mistakes.

We have to make provisions for our young people who are ending up not only in the minority but also without a voice.

So I'm of to prepare some speaking notes for tomorrows panel and try my best to convince them that this project is speculative, doesn't meet demand, and shouldn't be abusing the State Environment Planning Policy SEPP (Housing for Seniors or People with a Disability) 2004