$56 Million Retirement Community to Open in Penrith

A new $56 million state-of-the-art, retirement community is on schedule to open in Penrith early in 2019.

Titled Thornton Park, the development sits in a prime location on Empire Circuit, close to Smith’s Paddock and a short walk to Penrith railway and shopping precinct, making it perfectly positioned to access all that Penrith has to offer. The boutique development will feature spacious, contemporary apartments and include a café, hair and beauty salon, multi-purpose community centre, library, media room and community workshop.

Southern Cross Care conducted focus groups with older people in Penrith to understand what matters to them and how they want to live. Southern Cross Care’s CEO, Helen Emmerson, said, “It’s clear that the love for learning, adventure and new experiences need not diminish as we grow older.”

The new community will deliver a model of retirement living with a focus on holistic wellbeing. “The first thing we did was to throw out the cookie cutter,” said Ms Emmerson. “At Thornton Park, we’re not just building a retirement village. We’re literally redesigning the Australian neighbourhood to cater to older people who are planning on living their lives in creative, meaningful and contributing ways.”

Thornton Park will be a retirement community that fosters connections with a real cross-section of society, drawing together people with common interests and passions, regardless of age. We’re harnessing mutually beneficial relationships with everyone, from wellness groups to arts and historical societies, schools, universities, gardening groups and growers’ markets, with the goal of connecting people to what matters most to them.

With the number of older people in Penrith projected to increase over the next 10 years by up to 55% for 65+ and 75% for 85+, services that cater to older people will be in high demand. Ms Emmerson said that an integral part of the development would be home services, delivered into the broader community, allowing more people to benefit from Thornton Park’s presence. Combined with the 100-bed residential aged care component of the development, due to open next year, the development is expected to create a significant number of new jobs in the area.

Find out more about Southern Cross Care (NSW & ACT).