How Private Developers are Reshaping Retirement Living

A quiet revolution is under way in retirement living—and it’s not coming from the institutions. It’s being driven by a new wave of private developers who are ripping up the rulebook and redefining what ageing well looks like in Australia.

At The Urban Developer’s Retirement Living Summit next Wednesday, April 2 in Brisbane, this shift takes the spotlight for one of the day’s key sessions.

The Rise of Alternative Retirement Living Models session brings together three leading developers to unpack what’s driving demand, how new models are gaining traction and what’s next for the sector.

Rethinking the village

Retirement living is shedding its traditional skin—and developers like Thirdi are leading the transformation. Thirdi managing director Ashleigh Button (pictured above) will unpack the group’s bold plans, including a $120-million vertical village at Merewether Golf Club.

The integrated precinct, part of its Third Age Villages brand, pairs high-end apartments with wellness facilities and golf course access. As older Australians opt for active, amenity-rich lifestyles over conventional villages, projects like this are redefining ageing in place—and securing community assets for future generations.

A more personal, community-led approach

Group Homes Australia is scaling a radically different approach to aged care—one that trades institutions for intimacy. Founder and executive director Tamar Krebs (pictured above) has grown the dementia-focused provider to 22 homes across Sydney.

Each home, set within a suburban street, supports just six to 10 residents, offering personalised, high-acuity care in a familiar setting. It’s a model designed to preserve dignity, autonomy and connection—redefining what care can look like in the later stages of life and prompting serious interest from families and forward-thinking investors.

Scaling Innovation with Purpose

For LDK Seniors’ Living chief executive Byron Cannon (pictured above) the mission is clear: bring heart to retirement living at scale. LDK’s projects are breaking ground by integrating care, hospitality and lifestyle in large-format, village-style environments that feel more like home and less like an institution.

Backed by private capital and driven by a resident-first ethos, LDK’s model is emerging as a blueprint for the future—particularly as government funding tightens and consumer expectations climb. Cannon will unpack the strategy behind LDK’s growth and how it’s reshaping the benchmarks for senior living in Australia.

Final tickets now available

This 30-minute panel session goes beyond concept—it digs into the numbers, the planning challenges and the strategic drivers behind the sector’s diversification.

Moderated by The Urban Developer, the panel promises a candid conversation between three seasoned operators who are, quite literally, putting their money where their mouth is.

NOTE: This is just one of nine sessions in a day packed with insights for developers, financiers, architects and policymakers.

The Retirement Living Summit
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Howard Smith Wharves, Brisbane
8.30am – 4.30pm AEST

Less than seven days to go. Final tickets now on sale.

Register now to secure your seat.