Uniting Targets Kingscliff for Aged-Care Overhaul

The Uniting Church is continuing to revamp aged-care facilities, lodging plans for its Kingscliff property as the sector undergoes an entire rebrand.

The provider has 74 aged-care homes across NSW and the ACT, including this one on a 2.89ha site at 24A Kingscliff Street, Kingscliff.

It houses 86 residents within six low-rise buildings and would be developed in stages to minimise disruption for those living onsite.

It follows recommendations from the Royal Commission to decouple accommodation and allow seniors to age well in their homes supported by care services.

The site would be turned into a seniors-living community including 199 independent-living units and a 120-place residential-care facility.

The Plus Architecture design also showed a gym, church, cinema, hairdresser, pool, cafe and health consulting rooms.

▲ Kingscliff sits within the Tweed Shire, located in the north-east corner of NSW and is 60km north of Byron Bay and about 100km south of Brisbane.

Plus Architecture principal Gabriel Duque said the aim was to create a socially conscious and vibrant seniors community.

“Our architectural design has been shaped through extensive community consultation, aiming to preserve the local character and seamlessly integrate increased housing density with the surrounding neighbourhood,” Duque said.

The plans included four surrounding parcels of land which have additional frontage on Lorien Way and were within the Tweed Shire Council area.

The facility was licensed for 112 aged-care beds and would be increased to 120 aged-care beds plus the 199 independent living units.

The Uniting Church has a property trust and team who were working to sell, develop and improve multiple sites within its portfolio. 

▲ Plus Architecture designed the plans with seven larger complexes and several smaller buildings to the sides of the Kingscliff site.

In December it won approval for a $300-million seniors housing development in Newcastle.

This would create a 15-storey, four-building project on a former TAFE site.

Meanwhile in Kingscliff, the population was projected to grow by 4000 people or 2500 homes by 2036, according to the most recent locality plan.

Near the Uniting Church Kingscliff project, Sydney developer Allera had plans for a 24-apartment project opposite the bowls club and beach.