Welcome
Welcome to the website for The Benevolent Society’s Apartments for Life at Ocean Street Project, to be located at our landmark site at Bondi in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Apartments for Life will be a groundbreaking project. It has been developed by The Benevolent Society as a response to the unprecedented growth in Australia’s ageing population and the need for new solutions to help older people age well.
Apartments for Life will increase the choices available to older people. The age-friendly design will be geared to allowing older people to remain in the neighbourhood of their choice, live as independently as possible, and draw on care services as required. It will allow people to maintain their quality of life as they grow older.
The complex will include community facilities and open space for use by the surrounding community as well as residents of the site. It will include a significant proportion, 40 percent, of affordable housing.
Over the last 3 years we have undertaken comprehensive feasibility and planning studies, as well as an extensive community engagement process involving local residents, providers of services to older people, Waverley Council, government agencies, other key stakeholders and, most importantly, older people.
In May 2008 the Society submitted a development application to Council. In response to feedback, the Society made significant revisions to its plans and lodged them with Council in March 2009. The Council deferred their decision about the Development Application in August 2009.
The Benevolent Society has initiated a hearing in the Land and Environment Court on the Apartments for Life project. The proposed hearing will seek endorsement of the revised development plans. For more information, please see the media release.
Project Information
- Apartments for Life in Australia: Lessons from Humanitas in The Netherlands, June 2009
- ACIL Tasman report - 'Apartments for Life' Housing, Care and Support Concept for Older People, July 2009
- Apartments for Life featured on ABC's 7.30 Report
- Project plans March 2009
- Most recent Community Newsletter
- Factsheet - A new concept in retirement living and aged care for Waverley
- Frequently Asked Questions about the project
- The project at a glance
- Location of site
- Background research papers on housing and services for older people
Contact us
If you would like to get in touch with us about this project please contact Lindy Ryan on 02 9339 8000 or oceanstsite@bensoc.org.au