Retirement Living Council: 256K reasons to prioritise ageing in Greater Adelaide Regional Plan

The Property Council’s retirement living body has made a submission to the South Australia’s Planning Commission emphasising the need for adequate and diverse housing to care for its ageing population.

Retirement Living Council Executive Director Daniel Gannon said the new Greater Adelaide Regional Plan has to reinstate the 2017 references to “downsizing” or “rightsizing” into future decision-making around accommodation for older South Australians.

The submission also seeks:

• Establishing minimum land allocations for retirement communities in new greenfield developments.
• Including retirement facilities under the Housing Australia Future Fund as a key delivery component of achieving South Australia’s supply target.
• The reintroduction of Action 27 of the 30-year plan, which required the development of a “policy framework to support projects that provide for aged care and retirement accommodation to meet growing demand”.

“Given the number of South Australians aged over 75 is set to increase from 166,000 to 256,000 by 2040, we need to ensure that ageing remains a strategic priority for the State Government,” he said.

“Retirement communities offer a unique housing option that enhances wellbeing and lifespan for older Australians. Those who choose to live in these communities reap the benefits, but so does the broader community.

“This is because living independently in a retirement community delays entry into taxpayer funded aged care, freeing up space in the system and delivering economic savings to government budgets.”