Construction starts on $30 million seniors’ community
The formal commencement of a $30-million investment in Townsville kicked off yesterday with Mendi Constructions unveiled as the civil partner for Carinity’s Fairfield Grange retirement community project.
Townsville City Acting Mayor Cr Les Walker officially launched civil work on site by cutting a giant ribbon suspended between earthmoving equipment, followed by the formal opening of The Avenues at Fairfield Grange’s display villa as part of Carinity’s highly anticipated boutique retirement village at Idalia.
Cr Walker says The Avenues at Fairfield Grange, opposite The Precinct urban village, will provide job opportunities for locals and accommodation options for Townsville seniors.
“Carinity’s decision to begin construction reflects their confidence in the Townsville community and it’s even better they have selected a Townsville-based company to build their project,” Cr Walker said.
“There’s no doubt these sorts of facilities are in high demand in our community and it’s fantastic that they are also helping to create jobs for locals during construction.”
Carinity’s Business Development and Marketing Manager James Woods says: “We are delighted to engage local firms for the design and construction of this unique village. Carinity has already created over 100 new jobs with its aged-care facility in Townsville and this development will continue to bolster the local economy.”
James says The Avenues at Fairfield Grange will provide much-needed accommodation for Townsville seniors and the region’s growing ageing population.
The number of people aged 65 years and over living in Townsville is expected to rise by 56% by 2028. Townsville’s senior population is projected to almost double to more than 60,000 people in 20 years. t
James says the first stage of the 76 retirement villas, designed by local consultants i4architecture and within walking distance to conveniences and public transport and 6km from Townsville CBD, is expected to be completed by June next year.
“We’re excited to be bringing this high-quality, premium-style community to Townsville. We started out wanting to deliver incredible value for people and we’ve been able to achieve that with the Master Plan, the contemporary design and interiors, security, and community features including walking distance to restaurants, convenience stores, and health services,” James says.
“We’ve deliberately designed these homes to ensure residents have space for themselves while being able to enjoy the company of like-minded people. There are five villa styles to choose from and importantly they have been designed by local architects to achieve an incredible 8-star energy rating which means lower living costs for residents.
“With The Pavilion community centre, aquatic area and bowls green to be completed in the first stage, there’s no wonder we’re seeing strong interest from outside of Townsville.”
The new retirement community, which will be constructed over five stages, is co-located with Carinity’s existing aged-care community. Carinity also aims to introduce Home Care services to Townsville in late 2019, creating more jobs.
Mendi Managing Director Jeff Doyle says Carinity’s project will continue to boost employment opportunities for local people.
“Carinity is a local organisation and it is great to see it engaging local businesses and local people. We’re really pleased to be involved in helping to build this remarkable project,” Jeff says.
“This is an important project for the local community and it’s fantastic to see organisations such as Carinity continue their investment in the city. Mendi have worked closely with the Carinity team to date and look forward to delivering this very important piece of infrastructure.
“Approximately 35 locals will be involved in the civil works throughout the six-month construction period”.
Lorna Mead, whose family once owned a plant nursery in Idalia, was one of the first people to put her name down to move into The Avenues at Fairfield Grange.
She decided The Avenues at Fairfield Grange was the retirement community for her after being “very impressed” by the care given to her late husband at Carinity’s existing residential aged-care community on the site.
“The care he received there was exemplary, they did a wonderful job and they were so compassionate and accommodating,” Lorna says.
Each energy-efficient villa at The Avenues at Fairfield Grange will feature spacious living areas, designer kitchens with European appliances, and ensuites.
The villas are fitted with long-lasting, energy-efficient LED downlights, using significantly less power than older-style halogen lights.
Each villa has high cathedral-style ceilings to boost circulation and the placement of windows and doors is designed to capture cooling breezes, ensuring maximum cross-ventilation, and insulation helps to better moderate Townsville’s hot climate.
Each home will be fitted with heat pump systems almost three times more energy-efficient than conventional hot water systems, and which function well in warm and humid environments.
The Avenues at Fairfield Grange is across the road from Townsville’s first urban village precinct, with boutique retail sites including gourmet butcher, gourmet fruit shop and juice bar, and full-line delicatessen.
Retirement villas at The Avenues at Fairfield Grange are priced from $425,000.
To inspect The Avenues at Fairfield Grange call 1300 060 060 or go to fairfieldgrange.org.au.
t Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011 Census of Population and Housing and 2016 Census of Population and Housing; Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, Queensland Regional Profiles.
