The intergenerational aged care village will be built on an empty block of land near the UC Hospital. Photo: UC Media.
The University of Canberra will become home to Australia’s second intergenerational retirement living community, with hopes that people will start moving in by the end of the decade.
The development will include 230 independent living units and a 180-bed residential aged care community, alongside a wellness hub, retail centre, and other commercial operations.
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Bill Shorten said a lot of “genuinely ground-breaking work” had gone into the vision to have long-term, secure accommodation for older people alongside an opportunity for students to receive real-world training on site.
“Our students here, from allied health, through to the built environment, through to nursing and many other vocations that we teach so well here, will in fact be able to get on-the-job training whilst they are at the university,” he said.
“This is a visionary development. It’s been years in the making, but I’m pleased that this year we’re able to put our foot on the accelerator and get on with it.”
The build, made possible by a partnership between the university, Pariter and Opal HealthCare, is expected to cost $175 million and create more than 800 construction jobs.
About 290 ongoing jobs are expected once the build is complete. Pariter and Opal HealthCare have leased the land for the next 100 years.
Mr Shorten said the approvals process now needed to begin, but he hoped construction would start within the next two years and that people would start moving in within four.
“It will create a benchmark for intergenerational living on university campuses, one which I hope will be replicated across the country in years to come,” he said.
“The point is, as of today, the train has left the station.”
Opal HealthCare communications and sustainability director Roseanne Cartwright said the issue of aging populations was global, but this was an opportunity to address it locally.
“We see examples in the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, where intergenerational communities are bringing together residential aged care with retirement living, with student housing, health services, and childcare centres,” she said.
“This development is a local solution that will serve and enhance the lives of our elders and people of all ages who are living in Canberra … and we hope that this becomes the template for many more communities just like this one across Australia.”
It’s hoped people will be able to move into the intergenerational aged care village on the UC campus within four years. Photo: UC Media.
The development has been 10 years in the making, following the Territory’s 2015 amendment to legislation that allowed UC to explore more development opportunities on its land.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the University of Canberra Hospital was an early result of this change, but the aim had always been for the hospital to be part of a broader health and aged care precinct.
“Not many universities have this much land with the flexibility of use that the university has, and so it has been a long-term vision, a shared one between the government and the university, to utilise this land in a way that supports the education outcomes, but also delivers something for the broader community as well,” he said.
“With the other developments and activities that are taking place on the campus, you’re going to see a lot of intergenerational mixing and an increase in the precinct’s population that will also support a number of the retail and other commercial activities that occur on the campus.”
It’s not the only construction project taking off on the UC Bruce campus.
The university finalised a $66 million land sale in 2023 for developer Peet Limited to build 1600 townhouses and apartments.
The company had originally expected to commence sales in 2025.
Mr Shorten said the timelines had moved more slowly than expected, but work on this project had now begun.
“The good news is, Peet [Limited] is now getting a crack on. They’ve closed off the carpark, carpark 7, so they can start construction,” he said.
“I can’t explain why every delay’s happened in the past, but I just want to say to people … we’ve turned the corner in terms of economic sustainability. The university community is pretty united.
“You watch this space, this university is going up again.”
