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Brisbane property developer GreenFort has lodged plans with the Toowoomba Regional Council for a $105-million retirement village development at Gowrie Junction.
The development application 422 independent living houses across a 25.1ha site at Gowrie-Birnam Road, 13km north-west of the Toowoomba CBD on Queensland’s Darling Downs.
The project comprises 406 two-bedroom houses of 130sq m to 186sq m, and 16 three-bedroom houses of 236sq m each. Each home includes an alfresco area of 8 to 16sq m, with dwellings featuring either single or double garages.
According to the planning report, the development “provides two dedicated areas of high-quality communal/recreational spaces for residents to encourage social interaction and healthy lifestyles”.
These communal facilities include a two-storey country club with a 40-seat cinema, indoor golf simulator, billiards room, various lounge areas and a cafe.
“The country club is ultimately intended to function as the primary community centre clubhouse,” the report said.
Its ground floor would include games rooms, private dining facilities and a salon, while the upper level would comprise an auditorium, library, and arts and crafts space.
A wellness centre would provide facilities appropriate for seniors’ accommodation.
“The concept for the wellness centre has been designed to include an outdoor tennis/pickle ball court sited next to an indoor venue that will comprise an indoor pool and spa, a gymnasium, a golf simulator and a series of lounge spaces, meeting rooms and a cafe,” the application documents said.
A communal campervan and RV washdown area is also included in the plans.
The development includes 26,385sq m of community open space and features bio-retention basins ranging from 800 to 1150 square metres.
The project team includes Cottee Parker Architects, RPS as planning consultants, and Laud Ink as landscape architects.
“The site layout facilitates substantial separation to adjoining properties, a consistent streetscape presentation, and a high level of connectivity from the development to the public road network,” according to the planning report.
The development will be delivered across 16 stages, with construction scheduled to begin in October 2026 and completion expected by July 2027.
The development’s first stage will deliver 21 two-bedroom homes and the wellness centre, with subsequent stages ranging from 20 to 34 homes per stage.
GreenFort Capital’s retirement portfolio includes five villages across Queensland, including Maleny Grove on the Sunshine Coast, with the group’s Reside Communities portfolio valued about $1 billion.
The application is code assessable, meaning no public notification period is required. The project adds to Toowoomba’s expanding retirement sector, one of which is Bird in Hand 3’s $57.5-million Botanic Retirement Village at Highfields, which proposes 231 single-storey manufactured homes across 10.67 hectares.
The broader region is also set to welcome several GemLife developments under their new Aliria brand. Other retirement living developments either proposed or under construction include those in Cotswold Hills, Kleinton, and Torrington.
