Inner-city Wollongong is set to get an influx of senior citizens in the next two years, as retirement housing group IRT begins construction on a new eight-level independent living development.
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The $35 million “Parkside” building will house 75 two and three-bedroom apartments over six upper levels, and is being constructed next to the organisation’s existing Howard Court apartment building at the corner of Stewart and Kembla streets.
IRT plans to rename both buildings to “Pioneer Place”, reflecting their proximity to Wollongong’s historic former cemetery, Pioneer Park.
Construction, by Sydney-based Infinity Constructions Group, is expected to take just under two years, however IRT is already taking expressions of interest from people keen to move into the CBD block.
IRT CEO Stig Andersen said development would meet some of the high demand from ageing residents wanting to live in the city, allowing them to have an active lifestyle and be connected to services.
“We would expect this will bring another 100-plus senior residents living in the CBD,” he said.
Project manager James Cockrem said the building would make us of modular elements, such as bathroom pods, manufactured off-site to keep disruption and the construction time to a minimum.
“It’s a bit like a Lego building, essentially,” he said.