A packed public meeting in Kingscliff on 28 October marked the next step in the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) review of Uniting’s State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to redevelop its residential aged care home in the town.

On 13 October, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment assessed the $219.5 million proposal as suitable for approval: seven buildings of two to four storeys delivering 199 independent living units and 122 residential aged care beds over basement levels. The final call now sits with the IPC after 291 public objections – well above the 50-objection threshold – triggered referral.

“Kingscliff and the Tweed areas are home to a rapidly ageing population, yet there is still a significant shortage of high-quality retirement living and aged care accommodation,” said Adrian Ciano, Head of Property Development, Uniting NSW.ACT.

“Local seniors deserve safe, contemporary, and purpose-built homes that help them age well, close to the people and places they love. That’s why this redevelopment matters. Revitalising the site will allow us to offer a wide range of housing and care options that can adapt as residents’ needs change, so they can remain supported in one familiar place.”

The Weekly SOURCE reported in May that Uniting had scaled back the scheme in response to community feedback – reducing independent living units from 235 to 199 and adjusting aged care beds from 120 to 122 – yet the estimated cost has climbed 57% since then.

The Kingscliff proposal sits within a broader pipeline of major Uniting projects, including the  $448 million Waverley Estate (the organisation’s largest to date), the $194 million Uniting Wesley Gardens redevelopment, and Uniting Gordon on Sydney's North Shore.

Uniting’s $300 million Charlestown redevelopment – on the former TAFE site near Newcastle – was the first seniors living State Significant Development approved under NSW’s new Housing SEPP, signalling the state’s push to fast-track seniors housing in priority locations.