Major retirement developments approved for Bundaberg coastline
More retirement accommodation similar to this village at Innes Park is slated for the Bundaberg area. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
In short:
Eighteen developments have been approved by the Bundaberg Regional Council in the space of 12 months.
Most of the projects are planned for coastal suburbs, including Innes Park, Coral Cove and Burnett Heads.
Concerns are being raised over the added pressure on health and aged care sectors.
Thousands of retirement and relocatable homes are either under construction or have been approved along a regional Queensland coastline known for its pristine beaches and "affordable" lifestyle.
A combined 3,676 individual dwellings have been approved in Bundaberg, 4.5 hours' drive north of Brisbane, by the council in the last 12 months.
Among the 18 projects is a $320-million resort-style land lease community at Coral Cove, which includes 504 homes, a clubhouse and wellness facilities minutes from the beach.
Construction has also begun on the first stage of a 437-home gated community at Burnett Heads.
Adrian Puljich, Helen Blackburn and Andrew Coulter turning the sod on the development at Burnett Heads. (Supplied: GemLife)
GemLife managing director and chief executive Adrian Puljich said the $323-million project would be attractive to retirees migrating from south-east Queensland in search of an "affordable" lifestyle.
"We envisaged this project taking approximately six to eight years to deliver from start to finish," he said.
Mr Puljich said homes would start from approximately $700,000 and that there were six designs to choose from.
GemLife said it would also invest $3.7 million in road upgrades, wastewater and sewerage infrastructure for the community.
An impression of GemLife Lighthouse Bay at Burnett Heads. (Supplied: GemLife)
REA Group senior economist Angus Moore said the demographic of people living in the Wide Bay, which included Bundaberg and Hervey Bay, was older than the rest of the state.
"More than 40 per cent of [the] Wide Bay region is already aged over 55, compared to just under 30 per cent of Queensland as a whole," he said.
It also has the one of the highest percentages of over-65s in the country.
Unlocking housing stock
Mr Moore said retirement projects provided those people with an opportunity to downsize and unlock housing stock for younger families.
"Downsizing and allowing our existing houses to be used by those that better suit them would help improve housing affordability," he said.
More than 500 retirement homes will be built at Coral Cove. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
But the area may not be as affordable as it once was, considering house prices in the Wide Bay have more than doubled in the last five years.
The median house price is currently $666,000, compared to the Sunshine Coast's median of $1,259,000 and the Gold Coast's $1,345,000.
Mr Moore believes the market will slow as more homes are built.
"Building more homes is fundamentally the only way that we will start to improve housing affordability sustainably over the long-term," he said.
"In particular, building more homes where people want to live, which is increasingly places like the Wide Bay region."
Strain on health care and aged care
Bundaberg resident Sheryl Miedecke agreed more retirement homes were needed but was concerned about the added pressure on the health care and aged care sectors.
Sheryl Miedecke says there is a shortage of health professionals in Bundaberg. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
"I think it's a good thing to expand and have new people coming here, but whether they've got all the facilities to provide for retirees is the other thing," she said.
"That's a bit of a worry."
Bundaberg Regional Council has not received any development applications for new nursing homes, nor have any been included within the recently approved retirement projects.
"We certainly do need more nursing home developments … it is one of the things that I do talk to investors and developers about," Mayor Helen Blackburn said.
"Everything from student accommodation all the way through to nursing homes and increasing the size of our cemeteries — we need to be looking after everyone, right from the beginning all the way through to the end."
Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn launched a petition calling for the sacking of the chief executive and board of the Friendly Society Private Hospital. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
The council has obtained funding under the state government's Residential Activation Fund for six critical infrastructure projects to support the growth.
That includes $7.7 million to go towards the $9.6 million Millbank Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Mr Puljich said the confidence in the Bundaberg region, including the prospect of a new public hospital, would drive further investment.
"We're very excited to see Bundaberg grow over the next decade and beyond," he said.
"With so much opportunity and so much investment, not just in seniors housing but across agriculture, general housing and, indeed, medical facilities."