Swayve-
“When the 120 year old home to the iconic Coopers Brewery went on the market in 2001, no one thought that 10 years down the track they would be raising a glass in celebration of an award winning development on the site. As our Baby Boomers prepare for retirement, projects that cater to quality retirement living are increasingly vital. Forward thinking developers are currently faced with significant obstacles when seeking to meet the housing needs of our aging population. In the end only a few persist, and in a premier eastern suburb in South Australia, on the former site of Coopers Brewery, it has been accomplished with award winning excellence.
Most retirees do not want to cut their ties with their local community. They seek to remain in a familiar space within their suburb, surrounded by like-minded people of a similar age. However in many of suburbs heavily populated by Baby Boomers, land appropriate for developing retirement living is scarce. As pre sales are not permitted under the Retirement Village’s Act, bank finance for such projects is limited. “Many viable sites have gone over to standard housing, which is a loss to the community,” says Simon Chappel, Co-owner of the On Statenborough seniors living project.
In South Australia, the ‘On Statenborough’ retirement complex commenced construction in 2002 having, with much negotiation, secured the former Coopers Brewery Site. However having first overcome the significant issues of location and finance the project faced “… issues of flooding, density, contamination and land use all had to be resolved to the satisfaction of both council and a neighbourhood that hated the brewery as a neighbour but seemingly now hated the thought of losing it” says Paul Pruszinski of Adelaide’s award winning Pruszinski Architects. Through persistence, creative problem solving the project has reached completion with stunning success having been awarded the Urban Development Institute of South Australia’s top award in the categories of Senior’s Living & Masterplanned Development. It is only appropriate that this great achievement is celebrated with the raising of a glass in the Little Coopers Ale House located within the development!
For more information contact Simon Chappel on 0417 689 868