Amidst the looming seniors housing crisis across Australia, Uniting has opened its latest retirement living village in Leichhardt, New South Wales.

McRae-McMahon Place, named after former Uniting Church Minister and social justice activist, Rev. Dorothy McRae-McMahon, is located at 17 Marion Street, Leichhardt in Sydney’s Inner West, and features 65 architecturally designed homes, from one-bedroom apartments to deluxe penthouses, including 12 apartments allocated for social housing.

The rising demand from Australia’s growing ageing population means the nation will require 67,000 new retirement living dwellings by 2030. This growing need for more retirement villages to help seniors age in place and stay within their local communities, is particularly evident in urban areas where many have lived their whole lives.

McRae-McMahon Place was designed by Morrison Design Partnership Architects, with interiors by Turner, landscape design by Taylor Brammer, and construction by Growthbuilt.

Residents of the Leichhardt retirement living village – where 95 per cent of homes having already been sold – will enjoy landscaped gardens where they can foster stronger social connections through shared spaces and community activities, as well as a resort-style indoor pool.

McRae-McMahon Place has been designed to deliver premium liveability for its residents as their needs change, ensuring the homes and communal spaces are accessible for all levels of mobility and homes can be modified as required. In addition to safety and security features in the homes, and maintenance outsourced to Uniting’s specialist team, the village also offers a continuum of care model that supports residents with a move to residential aged care if they require a higher level of care.

McRae-McMahon Place is raising the bar for retirement living communities and reflects the need to provide diverse housing options to meet the evolving needs of Australian seniors within the suburbs they know and love, says Uniting director of property and housing Simon Furness.

“Australians are living longer, healthier lives, which means they’re staying active for longer and want to retain their independence for as long as possible in the comfort of their own homes.

“McRae-McMahon Place reimagines the notion of retirement living communities. An example of density done well, our ‘purposeful design’ approach means we built McRae-McMahon Place with a focus on residents’ wellbeing and providing them with the opportunity to build community connections through the shared amenities and spaces we’ve created,” Furness adds.

The village was officially opened in the presence of NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson, Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne, and Uniting executive director Tracey Burton.

“Everybody deserves a safe place to live and our priority is to continue to deliver more social and affordable housing across NSW so we can get more people off the housing waitlist and into homes,” the Minister said.

Images Credit: Sebastian Mrugalski

Branko Miletic

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