RSL LifeCare's Horizons Retirement Village heads towards $19 million expansion

Not-for-profit seniors housing provider RSL LifeCare submitted a development application to the Dubbo Regional Council last week detailing plans for a $19 million expansion to the Horizons Retirement Village.

"RSL LifeCare has lodged a Development Application for the next stage of retirement villas at Horizons Village Dubbo," a spokesperson for RSL LifeCare told the Daily Liberal.

"Village residents have been notified and RSL LifeCare is awaiting Council's assessment of the submission."

If approved, the long-awaited expansion would see the village grow with 32 independent living units slated for construction across two stages as laid out in the original master plan for the site, approved by council in 2013.

With the population of people over the age of retirement in Dubbo growing, developers say the expansion of the retirement village would provide additional housing opportunities to the aged.

According to the latest census data, in 2021 there were 6,725 residents in the Dubbo Regional Council area over the age of 70, or just over 12 percent of the area's population.

The population of 70 to 79 year-olds has grown by 17 percent since 2016 and the 80 to 89 year-old population has increased by 14.8 percent.

There are four different layouts proposed for the units which would be made up of a mix of attached and detached single story dwellings with two bedrooms. Each unit will have its own garage and driveway access and an additional six visitor car parking spaces will be provided.

Developers say all units are "architecturally designed with consideration of the existing character of the Horizons Village development".

"The existing development on the subject site comprises the community centre and facilities, internal services and existing seniors housing of a similar design and character," the development application says.

"The seniors housing development will provide additional housing options within west Dubbo and will assist in facilitating population and economic growth in the region."

"Ongoing maintenance and servicing of the development will also be required, further generating economic activity in the area."

The latest development application for the site follows a previous application for Stage 7 of the masterplan approved by council in 2017.

Despite being approved, construction of this stage was never completed and developers went back to the drawing board with the latest application superseding the original Stage 7 plans.

"The development site has been constructed up to Stage 7 including community facilities and internal infrastructure throughout the site," the application says.

"Although there are several other DAs which relate to the subject site, they are not considered relevant to the subject development proposal."

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