IRT lodges plans for huge new integrated seniors living site
IRT lodges plans for major Milton seniors living precinct
- Details: Milton Faire to deliver 244 retirement homes and 105 aged care beds
- Integrated model: Wellness, healthcare, café and community spaces planned onsite
- Long-term vision: IRT targeting 1,000+ new seniors homes across NSW regions
- Construction: Early infrastructure and highway upgrade works underway
In 2024, The Weekly SOURCE reported that the Not For Profit provider was undertaking community consultation on a 15-hectare parcel of land it owns on the NSW South Coast.
IRT (Illawarra Retirement Trust) today revealed it has lodged a development application with Shoalhaven City Council for Milton Faire, bringing together retirement living, residential aged care and wellbeing services within a single site.
The proposed development in Milton, a village 222km south of Sydney, includes:
- 96 independent living villas;
- 148 independent living apartments;
- a 105-bed residential aged care home;
- short-term and key worker accommodation, supporting employees, visiting families and local health services;
- a clubhouse and café with outdoor spaces;
- a social and wellness centre, including indoor pool, gym, sauna, consultation rooms and change facilities;
- community buildings with amenities such as a library, convenience store, pharmacy and administration spaces; and
- landscaped open spaces, including walking paths, gardens, activity areas and a boardwalk along the creek line.
The site, which was purchased in 2021, previously had development approval for seven buildings delivering 260 independent living units and an 89-bed aged care facility.
IRT CEO Ross Gallagher said the updated proposal reflects further design development and incorporates feedback received through community consultation.
“Milton Faire is about more than creating beautiful homes – it’s about how people live, connect and belong,” Ross said.
“It’s a place designed to support people to continue living well, remain deeply connected to their community and enjoy a lifestyle that evolves with them.
“It also reflects our long-term commitment to the South Coast and our belief that later life should be lived with purpose, dignity and choice – in communities that are carefully considered, well-designed and built to last.”
IRT’s plans for Milton Faire will be placed on Shoalhaven City Council’s website for public exhibition before progressing through the formal assessment process.
In the meantime, work will continue on the construction of the supporting roundabout on the Princes Highway to improve safety and access for the wider community, IRT said.
“With the completion of early works at the end of 2025, stage 1 of the program is now underway including retaining wall construction, service relocations, stormwater works and changes to the Service Lane access to assist with the road pavement construction.”
IRT’s plan is to deliver more than 1,000 new homes for senior residents, including approximately 800 independent living units and 200 residential care beds across Greater Western Sydney, the Illawarra and NSW South Coast over the next decade.
IRT is also proposing:
- a seniors’ living hub that supports ageing in place in Moruya, a town on the NSW South Coast, 305km south of Sydney, incorporating a mix of residential aged care, retirement living and key worker accommodation, in addition to on-site amenities such as a village green, café and clubhouse, which will be open to the local community;
- the $45 million redevelopment of IRT Diment, in Wollongong. This project will provide 102 independent living apartments in a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom layouts; and
- the approved demolition and rebuild of IRT Woonona, a northern suburb of Wollongong, to feature five buildings of three to four storeys delivering 98 independent living units and ancillary services.
