Sod turned on new Torquay retirement village

THE first sod has been turned at the site of a new retirement village on the Surf Coast.

New Zealand-based aged care and retirement company Summerset is bringing its model to Torquay with the introduction of an assisted living and aged care site.

Ahead of work starting early next year, local neighbours, stakeholders and Summerset staff attended a Smoking Ceremony and Sod Turning event on Monday this week.

The property, on the corner of Grossmans Road and Briody Drive, was purchased in mid-2020 and received approval from the Surf Coast Shire for the development plan of the village in April this year.

Once completed, the village will provide all levels of care, with space for up to 290 independent and assisted retirement units and 80 residential aged care beds.

Memory care, respite and palliative care will also be provided once the village is complete.

Summerset chief operating officer Australia Stewart Scott said the continuum of care made Summerset villages different to others.

 

“There aren’t a lot of groups like Summerset in the Australian market and particularly in Victoria, that really do the continuum of care, the independent assisted and aged care all on one location, under a single banner.

“This allows our residents to enjoy independent living in a village with stunning indoor and outdoor resort style facilities, with the added benefit of options to move into either an apartment with services or the village’s care centre should their needs change.

In Australia, Summerset has two villages in development with another five in stages of permit and planning approval processes, including one in Drysdale.

Mr Scott said when choosing locations for the villages, Summerset looked carefully for the right block of land to suit the model.

“We need generous blocks of land that have the right amenity for people, and places where they want to come and live and enjoy the surroundings but also get all of the benefits of living in a place like Torquay.”

The new Torquay village will also include a large public park and introduce an estimated 80 to 100 jobs to the region once complete

For more information, head to summerset.com.au