Prime Minister Bill English today opened stage one of Summerset at Heritage Park, an innovative multi-story Ellerslie retirement village, which will free up the equivalent of 18ha of residential land in Auckland.
The higher density nature of Summerset at Heritage Park, in comparison to the residential homes residents have largely moved from, means the development results in approximately five times more efficient land use.
“At a time when land supply is under real pressure, developments such as this play a vital role in freeing up land in Auckland,” said Summerset CEO Julian Cook at a ceremony to mark the completion of the first stage of the village.
At a time when land supply is under real pressure, developments such as Summerset in Ellerslie play a vital role in freeing up land in Auckland for future generations.
The $250 million Heritage Park project is the biggest investment Summerset has made in Auckland to date.
“The opening of stage one of Heritage Park is a significant milestone and represents a major step forward in our ambitious growth plans for the Auckland region,” commented Mr Cook.
“In our 20th year of operation we have a major focus on Auckland and Ellerslie is just the start. This is part of a $1.3 billion investment programme in the Auckland region including building major new villages in Parnell and St Johns.
“This investment programme will help strengthen our position as New Zealand’s fastest growing retirement village and aged care provider.”
A flagship project for the company, when complete, Summerset at Heritage Park will house 450 residents in 320 villas, apartments, and serviced apartments. Fifty-eight care rooms will provide rest home and hospital-level care.
The mix of accommodation offers a range of options for residents in one location from independent living to rest home and full hospital level care. Heritage Park will offer a unique retirement village experience for residents with open green spaces, a lake, bowling green, library, hair salon, bar, gym, pool, spa and café.
“The village has been purpose-built to reflect the vision of Summerset to provide the best of life to our customers,” said Mr Cook. “This is a development that will challenge many people’s preconceived notions of what a retirement village is like.”
Unlike most other retirement developments, Summerset has their own in-house full-time construction team of 65 staff, including project managers, design specialists, planners and engineers
“In a tight market like Auckland there are real challenges in completing large developments like this one and we have experienced some delays which is frustrating for us and our residents.
“However, having an in-house team means we can keep these delays to a minimum and deliver our projects faster than other similar projects in Auckland,” Mr Cook concluded.