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Uniting NSW.ACT has unveiled its reimagined masterplan for its seniors living community in Gordon on Sydney’s upper North Shore.
Uniting Gordon will feature approximately 235 retirement living apartments, including 23 affordable homes, and 90 residential aged care places.
Ku-ring-gai Council – where Gordon is located – is forecasting a 49 per cent increase in the number of residents aged over 65 by 2036, according to the Ku-ring-gai Housing Strategy 2036, December 2020 (revised).
But there remains a shortage of housing designed specifically for older Australians in Gordon, Uniting NSW.ACT director of property and housing Simon Furness said.
Uniting NSW.ACT’s vision for Gordon is to create a high-quality, contemporary seniors living village that strengthens local community benefits, enables older people to live independently and access care when they need it, while remaining connected to family, friends and familiar places, he said.
The upgraded masterplan reflects the NSW Housing Delivery Authority’s initiatives and responds to new planning controls for the Gordon Town Centre, with changes including additional homes and floor space.
It also retains the original vision of four buildings arranged around a central green space but with refinements made in response to community feedback.
Mr Furness said more than half of the site will feature landscaped outdoor spaces, including:
- sensory gardens
- barbecue areas
- a rooftop garden with tree canopy vistas
- scenic walking trails.
“At the heart of the masterplan is a landscaped village green designed to support relaxation, mindfulness and social connection among residents and the wider Gordon community, with access to sunlight even during the winter months,” he said.
“The new planning controls provide us with the opportunity to deliver more homes for more local seniors on this site. Importantly we’ve taken the time to listen to what matters most to our neighbours, and our updated masterplan considers the community feedback we’ve received around traffic, parking, solar access and how the development responds to the local area’s context,” Mr Furness said.
“By building up, rather than out, we can deliver those additional homes while maintaining the gardens and open space proposed for the heart of the site. Rather than having taller buildings across the entire site, the design places the tallest buildings at the rear, closest to the railway line, where they will have less impact on neighbouring properties.”
The plan also includes approximately 360 on-site basement parking spaces across the same two-level basement car park proposed in the previous masterplan.
Uniting NSW.ACT is seeking further community feedback to inform the final design, with a State Significant Development Application expected to be formally submitted in late 2026.
Have we missed a refurbishment or expansion? Send us the details and an image to editorial@australianageingagenda.com.au
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