RSL senior housing pioneer’s $120M expansion plan
- Clubland pioneer: Dee Why RSL pushes ahead with village expansion
- $120m project: 103 new retirement apartments proposed
- SSD pathway: State Government backs the proposal
- Bigger vision: Building heights set to jump to 10 storeys
Dee Why RSL CEO Grant Easterby is widely regarded as the pioneer who brought seniors living to clubland.
He launched Oceangrove Seniors Living Village, with 76 Independent Living Units (ILUs) in 2010, eight years after Dee Why RSL’s board voted in favour of a village for seniors.
The construction of Oceangrove commenced in April 2009, with 70% of apartments sold off the plan.
The Weekly SOURCE reported in April 2024 that the club had unsuccessfully applied to Northern Beaches Council to change planning rules so it could double the height of buildings currently allowed on the site.
The original plan was for a 10-storey retirement village with a three-storey block of units and a former late-night pharmacy to be demolished.
Now Dee Why RSL has lodged a $120 million State Significant Development (SSD) Application to expand the retirement village by constructing two nine- to 10-storey residential flat buildings comprising:
- basement carparking for the proposed ILUs, childcare and gym;
- approximately 103 ILUs, including 34 two- and 69 three- bedroom dwellings;
- approximately two two-bedroom dwellings dedicated for onsite staff (i.e. nurse)'
- approximately 10 one-bedroom affordable housing dwellings;
- construction of a centre-based childcare and a gym, including basement carparking;
- communal facilities for the ILU’s; and
- landscaping and communal open spaces for the ILU’s
Keylan Consulting, acting for Dee Why RSL, said the project was given State Significant Development (SSD) status by the NSW Government in September 2025. This means the proposal will be assessed by the State Government rather than the local council.
To allow the project to proceed, the planning controls for the site will need to be amended to increase the maximum building height from 12-13 metres to 32.4 metres. There is currently no floor space ratio (FSR) limit applying to the site, with any future FSR controls to be discussed with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
Conceptual Architectural Plans have been prepared by Altis Architecture.
