Biggest village seeks more units

The biggest retirement village to be built so far on the Coast is seeking resource consent to add more units, including the dementia facility, pictured (on the upper level). The village covers an 8ha site on Small Road, Silverdale.

The Coast’s largest retirement village, The Botanic, behind the park and ride in Silverdale, is seeking to expand further.

The plan for the village was made public last October in Hibiscus Matters.

A total of 501 units are consented for the site – with the potential for 900 residents – but recently its owners applied for resource consent to add another 37 units, including 24 dementia beds.

Co-owner Alan Edwards says demand is high, with stage one of the development already sold out.

The original village plan includes 40 hospital beds, but Mr Edwards says they became aware that it was important to cater for “all eventualities”, including for people with memory deficit, cognitive impairment and dementia.

Mr Edwards says that the dementia  homes will be secure but are designed to look like any other residence.

“We want them to look and feel like a home,” he says. “There will be a shared kitchen so residents can do day to day tasks for themselves, within their limitations.”

The dementia homes can also access a secure garden at the rear of the second floor building.

Adding the dementia homes means reducing the size of the commercial area on Small Road. At the same time, consent is sought to add a commercial retail unit to the ground floor of an apartment building. Mr Edwards says the company hopes to attract tenancies such as doctors, pharmacists, audiologists and hairdressers to these units.

Additional changes sought include vegetation removal alongside a stream to allow a boardwalk to be constructed and new basement carparking in two of the blocks.

Mr Edwards says that the exact makeup of the commercial land on the corner of Small Road and the Painton Road extension is yet to be decided.

“It will be offices and other commercial spaces, but it has not been designed as yet. It is likely to be 18 months to two years before we decide exactly what to do with that site,” he says.

Construction has begun, and Mr Edwards expects that the first residents will move in around July.

The resource consent has been publicly notified, and is open for submissions until 11.59pm on April 12.

Info: Look for Have Your Say, Notified Resource Consent applications, 17 Small Road Silverdale at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Backstories October 14, 2020