Second Summerset on way
One of the country’s biggest aged care companies has unveiled plans for its second retirement village in New Plymouth, creating hundreds of homes for the elderly.
The announcement of a new Summerset Retirement Village has been welcomed by builder Cameron Ashton, of Ashton and Sons, who says retirement villages are part of the reason the Taranaki building scene is booming. Ashton is currently developing the Maida Vale retirement village just along the road from the proposed Summerset site in Waiwhakaiho.
‘‘There’s been a lot of negative conversations about the future of building in New Zealand,’’ he said. ‘‘But we’re very very busy.
Ashton said the construction and development of retirement homes and villages in Taranaki is still potentially seven or eight years away from peaking.
‘‘That’s going to keep me going past retirement,’’ he said. ‘‘Then I’ll move into one.’’
Positive Aging chairman Lance Girling-Butcher said people over the age of 65 make up 17 per cent of Taranaki’s population and this is expected to rise to just under 30 per cent in the next 20 years.
The lack of accommodation for retired people was one of the things that came up while they were researching for the age friendly city strategy, he said.
‘‘But [retirement villages] tend to be for people with more money rather than the lower income people or people who rented all their lives. They can’t afford the villas, but as far as they go I think they are brilliant.’’
People like to live together and it’s good for safety, which is a concern to older people, he said.
Summerset’s new retirement village will offer around 300 homes, including two-and-three bedroom villas and serviced and memory care apartments for people with dementia – a first for Summerset New Plymouth. A care centre will provide rest home and hospital level care.
Summerset chief executive Julian Cook said they’d had a huge demand for homes at their existing Taranaki village, Summerset Mountain View, which was officially opened at the end of 2015. He said they expect similar for the proposed plans for their 8.1 hectare property on Po¯ hutukawa Place, Waiwhakaiho.
The creation of the village is expected to provide up to 50 fulltime equivalent jobs in the region.