New redevelopment guidelines from Retirement Living Council

The Retirement Living Council has released new guidelines for village redevelopments as demand continues to grow. Written in collaboration with village residents and operators, the new Resident and Community Engagement for Retirement Village Redevelopments Guidelines aim to help operators update and upgrade their older village stock, according to Ben Myers (pictured), the Property Council of Australia’s Executive Director of Retirement Living.

“The average retirement village in Australia is 26 years old, and there is increasing pressure to find ways to make sure many older villages remain viable and able to meet modern expectations about housing styles, community facilities and healthy ageing,” he said.

The Guidelines were developed in partnership with BBS Communications Group following the values and principles of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and the Retirement Living Code of Conduct. According to Ben, village residents should be empowered during a redevelopment by giving them consultation and involvement with decision-making.

“While each redevelopment project is different, engagement with residents throughout the planning, construction and post-construction phase often makes the difference between great, good and bad outcomes,” he said.

Ben has recently expressed optimism around new housing accessibility and efficiency standards from the Federal Government, saying they make a strong value proposition for retirement living.