Construction is expected to begin before the end of the year on a 40-bed care centre at Arvida’s Waimea Plains retirement village in Richmond.
A spokesperson says the centre has gained council consent and is now going through internal approvals on the design before it is presented to residents.
At this stage there is a target to commence construction this year, but there is no completion date.
The care centre will be built on the cleared site at the front of the retirement village beside Lower Queen St and the spokesperson says it will include beds for dementia residents.
Village resident Trevor Tuffnell says that while it is good news the care centre is getting closer to reality, he is disappointed it has taken so long and there is nothing definite yet.
Trevor and his wife Ann were some of the first residents to move into the village five years ago and they went there with the understanding there would be a care centre available when they needed it.
Both are turning 86 this year and he says they have been looking at moving to Christchurch, partly for family, but also because they want to be somewhere there is a care facility for them if they need it.
“Frankly, Ann and I have been looking around and wondering if we can stay as Ann’s health deteriorates.
“The real problem is disappointment and the reality is that nobody really knows absolutely when the damned thing will be started and/or finished. To me, that is the real issue,” he says. “There’s a fair level of discomfort within the village over this.”
When the village opened, it planned to have a care centre with 59 rooms split over three levels, but in March last year, plans were put on hold with Arvida citing changing market conditions, including construction costs.
At the time, Arvida said a revised plan would likely have less beds and be one level.
Though it’s good news to hear the care centre is making progress, Trevor says residents need a definite plan.
“I really would like something more absolute in front of me than what I have at the moment.”
Up the road at Arvida Oakwoods, residents committee chairman Jim Wiseman welcomes the progress at Waimea Plains as the eventual care centre will be available to Oakwoods residents as well.
Oakwoods’ care centre is undergoing a refurbishment now that will include updated facilities and Jim says progress on both care centres are probably linked to Arvida’s new ownership.
Last year, Arvida Group was purchased by US private equity Stonepeak.
