Sydney North Planning Panel has approved Australian Unity’s plan for a seniors housing development in Lane Cove, in Sydney’s Lower North Shore, after an eight-year saga.

Australian Unity and architects ThomsonAdsett lodged an application for a Site Compatibility Statement (SCC) on 8 May 2017 after Lane Cove Council, on 15 April 2013, supported a planning proposal to enable the rezoning of land from Public Recreation to High-Density Residential and reclassify the land from community to operational land.

The original proposal had to be amended and approval has been given for 90 independent living units/self-contained dwellings, a 70-bed residential aged care facility, with basement car parking for 137 vehicles and a new public park and facilities.

Beverly Smith, Executive General Manager for Residential Communities at Australian Unity, said she was pleased that the lengthy development approval process had finally reached a resolution.

“Australian Unity maintained throughout the development approval process that this development was appropriate for the Lane Cove community, and the development approval outcome endorses that position,” she said.

RetireAustralia has applied for a SCC to build a vertical village (pictured) of 29 independent living apartments and 64 assisted care apartments with dining, community and recreation facilities on the former Caroline Chisholm Village Retirement Village in Lane Cove West, 11km from the Australian Unity site. RetireAustralia paid just over $20 million for the site in August 2017.