A new report reveals that retirement village development applications in New South Wales are facing severe delays, with one-third of them taking more than 730 days to be assessed. This extended timeframe comes despite an ageing population and an ongoing housing supply crisis in the state.
The national planning report card Retirement Ready released by the Retirement Living Council (RLC) in collaboration with urban consultancy Urbis, highlights significant inefficiencies in NSW’s planning and approvals system. According to the report, 67% of retirement village development applications across the country take more than a year to receive a decision, and 23% take over two years. In NSW, this figure rises to 33%.
RLC Executive Director Daniel Gannon expressed concerns over the state’s protracted assessment process, particularly when compared to the average 107-day assessment period for residential developments. “NSW has the biggest cohort of over-75s in Australia, and retirement villages are effectively operating at full capacity. This is alarming and unacceptable,” said Gannon.
Despite NSW ranking second on the national leaderboard with 51.2 points out of 100, trailing South Australia, the state’s complex planning system, with over 500 planning schemes, poses significant challenges. Gannon pointed out the irony of governments calling for more housing supply while simultaneously hindering its progress. “You can’t make this stuff up,” he remarked.
The report also offers key recommendations to make NSW’s planning system more ‘retirement ready,’ including a review of the planning proposal process, the creation of a consistent policy for council advertising of significant developments, the establishment of a priority assessment team, and the extension of affordable housing floorspace bonuses to retirement villages.
Urbis Associate Director Kylie Newcombe emphasised the importance of strategic planning in addressing the growing needs of the ageing population. “Retirement living plays a crucial role in providing age-friendly housing, enabling older residents to remain integral parts of their communities,” she noted.
Download the Retirement Ready report here.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
