Providing for Elderly Living Options

The Hurunui Age-Friendly Communities Project Report has found the majority of our older residents think that the Hurunui district is a great place to live, but many would like more low-maintenance section and housing options.

We would like to see this become a reality for our older residents - and believe our provisions for ‘Independent Senior Living Units’ can contribute to achieving this.

We have been considering the Hurunui’s growing elderly population* for quite some time. In response to this, provisions for ‘Independent Senior Living Units’ (ISLUs) were introduced to the District Plan in 2011. ISLUs provide for clusters of higher density housing on smaller sections specifically for retired, elderly or disabled persons.

Eleven of these units have been developed in Amberley to date, however there is a perceived shortage of available land for this type of development.

Our Chief Strategy and Community Officer, Judith Batchelor, said council research shows no shortage of appropriately zoned land within our townships for the growing elderly population. “The vast majority of vacant land is available in Amberley, which has a large range of services and is sited within commuting distance to Christchurch and the Waimakariri district” Mrs. Batchelor said. “However, with the majority of vacant land held in private ownership, it is up to individual landowners whether they wish to develop their land in a manner that is suitable for the needs of a growing elderly population”.

*Hurunui district has an ageing population and this is predicted to continue to grow. With an estimated 2017 total population of 12,800, 19.4 percent of the population were aged over 65 years. By 2038, thirty percent of the population in the Hurunui district will be aged 65 years plus.

For further information:

Judith Batchelor
Chief Strategy and Community Officer
0272551483

📷 Image by Sam Wheeler on Unsplash