Rory’s Rambles: What do people actually want in a new community?

OVER the years, we’ve surveyed residents and potential residents, asking what they’d like in their new Villawood community. Their answers generally fall into three main categories:

SCHOOLS

Parents want a local school that their kids can walk safely to and from. Another benefit is the close proximity of the school means their friends will be living close by also.

Kids can then walk to each other’s houses to play. They can strike up friendships with other children living around them without their parents having to drive long distances for them to meet up with their friends.

MEDICAL CENTRE

Parents like to know that if they have health concerns they can be dealt with quickly. They also like to get to know their local general practitioner.

CAFÉ

A good café is seen as very important by new residents. When they move into their new communities, they want to make new friends.

A local café is a real community hub where people can meet each other and form new friendships.

If you ask people what they want in a club facility, the main answers are:

SWIMMING POOL

Having a local pool is a great way to meet people. There’s the added advantage that having a central pool is a lot more cost-effective, and uses a lot less water, than maintaining hundreds of backyard pools with expensive chemicals and all the time they need for maintenance.

GYM

Good gym facilities are highly sought. People really see the value of residents club gyms, as well as tennis courts, function rooms, playgroup rooms, etc. They can readily equate the value of joining the club with everything it has against the cost of joining a gym elsewhere.