Heritage-listed Scarba House, on the site
Welcome
Welcome to the website for The Benevolent Society’s Apartments for Life at Ocean Street Project.
The purpose of this website is to provide the community, clients, staff and other stakeholders with information on our plans for our landmark site at Bondi in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and to keep you updated as the project develops.
Our aim is to create a new form of housing and services for older people that, unlike many retirement complexes, is very much part of the local community.
We are proposing a new complex of apartments specifically designed for older people, plus public space and other community facilities for use by the surrounding community as well as residents. We want it to be a place where older people can live for the rest of their lives in the same apartment with the support of health, community and other services when needed.
Under this proposal, the Society would continue to own the site and would coordinate services needed by residents, when required.
This is a unique model which has not been trialled in Australia. We have done extensive research, both here and overseas, in particular around the Humanitas Foundation model in The Netherlands, and we believe Apartments for Life represents the future in housing, support and care for older people.
Over the last 18 months we have been undertaking comprehensive feasibility and planning studies, as well as an extensive community engagement process involving local residents, providers of services to older people, Waverley Council, other government agencies, other key stakeholders and, most importantly, older people from the local area.
In early April 2008, we presented our preferred project plan to the local community, prior to lodging a development application with Council. In late May we submitted a development application to Council.
The project in a nutshell
- A new form of housing for older people
- Supporting older people to say in their own home
- An affordable option
- Combating social isolation
- Why the project is needed
For more details click on the links below.
Project Information
- Questions and Answers, June 2008
- The project plans, April 2008
- Community consultation
- Background research papers on housing and services for older people
- Location of site
Contact us
We welcome your feedback on the Project. If you would like to get in touch with us please contact:
- Sarah Fogg at The Benevolent Society on 02 9339 8000 or oceanstsite@bensoc.org.au
- Dianne Knott at Elton Consulting on 02 9387 2600 or consulting@elton.com.au
Thank you for your interest in this project and we look forward to working with you.