Warrigal’s aged care home at Warilla, 17km south of Wollongong on the NSW South Coast, will be redeveloped into a new vertical retirement village, with another site to be established at nearby Lake Illawarra.
The new Warilla village will comprise 123 apartments over three levels in three buildings, surrounded by tropical gardens with a community centre, and offering integrated Warrigal home care services.
The Warilla aged care home (above) – originally established in the early 1980s – was recently declared “not fit for purpose”. Mark Sewell, CEO of Warrigal (pictured), told The Weekly SOURCE that the provider is aiming to capture seniors housing demand in the area.
“The site has been owned by Warrigal for nearly 40 years and is in walking distance to the local village shops and the Pacific Ocean beachfront.
“To make way for this project, everyone living at, or working in, the existing aged care home on site is going through a relocation process to one of the six other aged care homes operated by Warrigal in the region,” said Mark.
Warrigal is also opening up a companion site 2km away at Lake Illawarra, which Mark said will include 55 affordable villa-style modular homes.
“This large greenfield site still contains the former Catholic Church for the area which is currently being used for one of the region’s largest seniors education clubs run by U3A.
“Warrigal‘s plans will renovate the old church and integrate the community, meeting and education centre into the new village,” he said.
The move follows Warrigal’s recent acquisition of Wollongong village The Links Seaside from IRT, along with its accompanying aged care home.
