The retirement village operator and Opal HealthCare jointly acquired the 2.3ha former disability accommodation site, Highgate Park, from the South Australian Government for $42 million in January 2024.
Living Choice owners Ian Tregoning and Graham Hobbs were already familiar with the site, having developed the nearby Living Choice Fullarton, on the former Julia Farr Centre West Block, opened in 2014.
In February, Living Choice and Opal Healthcare released detailed plans for a redevelopment of Highgate Park that proposed a mix of 56 residential apartments, 159 assisted living beds, 72 retirement apartments in a five-storey building, and 16 two-storey townhouses, alongside a large central garden.
In response to community and council feedback, the developers have scrapped the ground-level car park that would have connected the new and existing buildings. Instead, they plan to expand the basement carpark, enabling the addition of six more ground-level independent living units. Additional updates include a new laneway, new central park precinct, garden walk, a southern and central garden, and rooftop gardens and courtyards.
“The changes were made primarily with the view to improve accessible carparking to the existing 10-level building while also reducing vehicle movements on a proposed driveway which neighbours the Living Choice Fullarton retirement village,” a company spokesperson told News Corp.
The Highgate Park redevelopment adds to Living Choice’s growing South Australian portfolio, which includes the under-construction Mount Barker Lifestyle Village – the operator’s first land lease community, located 33km from Adelaide.
