A new $300 million, 225-unit retirement village is being planned for Swansea, on the east coast of Tasmania.
Local developer Red Panda Property Group, best known for residential development, has proposed the village as part of larger plans in Swansea which include the redevelopment of a historic general store and the construction of a new residential subdivision.
The retirement village on a greenfield site (above) will offer continuum-of-care with aged care facilities adjacent, including high-level care for those who need it; additionally, there will be a community centre, an events centre, and a medical centre if plans proceed.
According to Red Panda Director Andrew McCullagh (pictured), the project would bring an influx of new residents and jobs to Swansea, which at present has little in the way of retirement living options, though does have a well-regarded residential aged care home run by Not For Profit provider May Shaw.
“Swansea’s basically a blank canvas… it’s really batting well below its weight at this stage of its career, and all the fundamentals are there for it to get onto the world stage,” he told The Weekly SOURCE.
“This is a beautiful spot to retire in, and complementing May Shaw will be an addition to the town.”
Andrew hopes for construction to begin in 2024, with the village to open its first stages after about a year; he adds that Red Panda will seek to partner with an operator to run it once it opens.
“We don’t want to reinvent the wheel – we’d like to have some input into it and make it top of the range, but we certainly won’t be looking to run it ourselves.
“We’ll need professional operators to take that space on,” he said.
Red Panda’s bid for a retirement village at Swansea comes a year after the Tasmanian Planning Commission knocked back Tempus’ plans for a village in the area, which had been in the works since 2018, despite the unanimous approval of the local Council.
