The retirement village was launched in 1987 with 113 one-, two- and three-bedroom independent living units.

In 2016 Stockland sought approval for a site-specific master plan with 247 new independent living units. They proposed to:

• Introduce ‘seniors housing’ as an additional permitted use in the existing E4 zone,
• Amend the maximum building height from 9m to a maximum of 24m, and
• Introduce a proposed floor space ratio of 1:1 across the site.

Council’s Senior Town Planner Laura Moran issued a statement last Friday that the NSW Government has finalised a proposal to amend Council’s Local Environmental Plan to facilitate the redevelopment of the Castle Ridge Retirement Village by including ‘Seniors Housing’ as an additional permitted use on the land, increasing the building heights up to a maximum of 22m and applying a floor space ratio of 0.83:1 across the site.

Levande’s Head of Development, Calum Ross, said many villages in Sydney were reaching the end of their useful life, with ageing infrastructure, outdated designs that no longer meet customers’ expectations, and poor pedestrian access and connectivity.

“We look forward to working closely with the Hills Shire Council to finalise the Development Application, so that we can commence the important process of village renewal and continue Castle Ridge's role in providing high-quality and vibrant seniors’ housing to the local community,” he said.

Swedish investor EQT paid $987 million for Stockland’s retirement living business in February last year, rebranding it Levande. Levande inherited the impasse with Hills Shire Council to redevelop Castle Ridge Resort.

The SOURCE: Hills Shire Council has developed a reputation as the most intransigent in new village development. The interception of the NSW Government is a welcome step.