Summerset Gets Green Light For Controversial $ 150 Million Lower Hutt Retirement Village Development

The large retirement village operator, Summerset Group, hopes to begin construction next year on a controversial $ 150 million village in Lower Hutt after receiving the green light from the Environment Court.

Summerset has received final consent from the Environmental Court for the multi-level buildings, one apartment building with four levels and part of another with five levels and the rest one to three levels, which will house some 300 residents. The consent comes seven years after he first purchased the 3.2 acre site that borders Boulcott’s Farm Heritage Golf Club.

The project divided the community that opposed the height and density of the buildings and the increased traffic it would bring to the neighborhood where there was already parking congestion with the nearby Boulcott private hospital.

Then-Hutt City Council Mayor Ray Wallace originally received the development announcement as fantastic news, but later in 2018, his deputy David Bassett filed a joint private filing opposing the design, as community opposition mounted. .

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Executive Director Julian Cook said in a written statement that the Environmental Court’s consent was good news for locals who wanted options for retirement in their own community.

“High-quality, comprehensive care retirement villages are limited in the Hutt Valley and the Hutt City Council’s own urban growth strategy specifically includes new retirement villages to accommodate an aging population,” he said.

Population forecasts showed that Lower Hutt’s population over 75 would more than double in the next 20 years.

More than 300 people were interested in the village, Cook said. Construction is likely to begin in 2021.

Projects of this scale created around 350 construction jobs over three to four years, and upon completion the village would employ 40 to 50 full-time people. The jobs would be in areas such as administration, nursing, caretaker, and property maintenance.

The court issued an interim decision on resource consent in March 2020, endorsing the general scheme but requesting that a small number of changes be made, Cook said.

Summerset reviewed his application to the court. Changes included a new rooftop lounge for the easternmost apartment building, a new shared garden for the westernmost apartment building, and more details on the tree species that will be planted along the southern boundary.

The court’s final determination was received on October 19. Cook said Summerset had already met all of the court’s requirements.

The tallest buildings were located on the edge of the golf course to ensure that they were as far away as possible from neighbors and the local school.

Summerset had received written approval for the current design from most of the neighbors on the edge of town.

It would be “a low-impact, warm and welcoming town that sits comfortably in a premium neighborhood.”

The multi-level buildings were bespoke architectural designs that used concrete and wood materials to blend into the neighborhood.

“Our architects have gone to great lengths to design the town to reflect its location. The building materials, the staggered roof heights, the use of green space and boulevards, and the location of the tallest apartment buildings on the edge of the golf course will create a town that is sympathetic to its surroundings, ”Cook said.

Summerset would contribute to neighborhood amenities, including building a turning circle at the end of Boulcott Steet to allow school parents to more easily drop off their children without turning onto neighboring driveways.

The company would also contribute financially to the new traffic lights at the intersection of Boulcott and High streets, designated as a safety concern by Hutt City Council.

The new village would offer villas and apartments for independent living, serviced apartments, a care center, dementia care, as well as a swimming pool, gym, movie theater, bowling alley and village cafe.