After receiving over a hundred submissions, the Department of Planning should release its updated NSW Seniors Housing Design Guide soon – with a whole new chapter.

Calderflower Architects has just completed its update of the Guide – which was exhibited between November 2022 and January this year – with the latest feedback from operators, Governments and Councils.

The new Guide will feature two sections – the first will cover the chapters already covered in the previous draft with a new section which will include a  component on designing for country.

“
Designing for country is generally limited to State Significant developments which require an Aboriginal knowledge keeper to do an assessment of the site and its history so it’s around respecting culture and place in a broader sense,” its Managing Director Lara Calder told The Weekly SOURCE.

However, the new second section will provide more guidance on designing independent living and residential care that takes into account other planning instruments such as the Government’s Apartment Design Guide (ADG), the NDIS Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Design Standard and the Liveable Housing Australia (LHA) Guidelines.

“Certain guidelines in the ADG are in conflict with seniors’ living so the Guide is structured around making those elements work together,” said Lara.

There will also be a number of checklists aimed at assisting planners and Councils who said that that they wanted more guidance in assessing developments against the SEPP (Housing).

Will the guidance help to ease the planning pathway for new retirement living and aged care developments then?