Have your say on seniors housing changes in new NSW Housing SEPP

The NSW Government has released an Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) on its proposed amendments to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 (Housing SEPP), including a draft Seniors Housing Design Guide developed by Calderflower Architects.

The EIE from the DPE includes proposed updates to accessibility standards for seniors’ independent living units, as well as the reclassification of what used to be called “hostels” into a “supported living” category, encompassing smaller-scale seniors and disability housing.

Lara Calder, Managing Director at Calderflower (pictured), told The Weekly SOURCE that proposed changes in the SEPP mean that retirement village developers may be able to slim down some of the spatial requirements for their units.

“These are very space-hungry buildings, because they have to comply with the requirements for accessibility, and the Australian standard 1428. A lot of retirement providers find that quite onerous, because their apartment is just blown out into a much bigger dimension.

“You could potentially get more units in because, if you’re not having to have so much space in one apartment, you can have a slightly more efficient floor space ratio for each unit,” she said.

Lara is urging operators to have a look at the new guidelines and send in their feedback.

“I don’t think a lot of people know that these changes have happened. If we can alert people that there are changes afoot, and that they’re available to review, and they also are invited to comment, then it’d be good to get feedback,” she said.

Operators and developers can have their say about the new Seniors Design Guide until 19 December.