Seniors village set to launch

Retirees to descend on Armstrong Creek

THE first stage of a 201-home retirement village in Geelong’s south will be launched this month.

The project is being led by YMCA Victoria, which is creating its first ever retirement development at Armstrong Creek.

Dubbed Lincoln on the Bellarine, the complex will begin with 20 residences opposite The Village Warralily.

The nine-stage works will be completed with 174 residences, 27 apartments and a range of community facilities by 2025.

YMCA Victoria’s Pete Gillies said the initiative was a new chapter for the organisation.

“Our purpose is to reinvent retirement as the start of living,” he said.

The YMCA has cited figures showing the huge spikes in retirement-aged residents of surrounding coastal towns over the decade to 2026.

Barwon Heads’ ageing population is expected to grow by 41.1 per cent in that period, while Torquay’s will rise by more than 81 per cent.

The homes will be complemented by a range of facilities.

A cafe, aquatic centre and gym will be open to the public, while residents will enjoy access to a lounge, theatrette, arts room and private dining.

Active living will be encouraged through a range of walking trails, a central park, orchard and community garden.

The complex will also link to other neighbourhoods and public areas, ClarkeHopkinsClarke principal Wayne Stephens said.

“We’re building a new brand of senior living in the form of walkable urban villages,” he said.

YMCA confirmed its youth groups would have an involvement with the retirement community, through paid and volunteer work.

“Retirement living enables us to achieve our strategic objective in creating a sustainable future through a diversified, whole of life offering,” the organisation said.

“(We are) also living our belief by giving back to the local community with the creation of hundreds of new jobs, capital investment, and new accommodation.”