Construction Begins On $50m Aged Care Development at Iconic Site

Work is officially underway on a new $50m aged care development by UnitingSA in Adelaide’s west, with the turning of the first sod taking place last week.

Premier Steven Marshall joined UnitingSA Chair Gael Fraser and CEO Libby Craft to break ground at UnitingSA West Lakes.

UnitingSA West Lakes will incorporate five-storeys of residential aged care, retirement living, retail and office space on 6,600sqm of land fronting West Lakes Boulevard.

Key features of the development include: 

• Three storeys of residential aged care including 108 private rooms with en suites
• An 18-bed memory support unit for people with dementia
• A top level featuring 17 retirement living apartments with balconies and views across the oval and lakes
• Ground floor shops including a café, hairdresser and allied health services, which will be open to the public

The project is a key component of the broader transformation of Football Park, being undertaken by Commercial & General.

Construction is expected to take 18 months and provide a significant economic boost for the area, with more than 400 jobs estimated during the build and 150 ongoing.

Speaking at the sod turning event, UnitingSA Chair Gael Fraser said the development would put aged care at the heart of the community.

“When planning the development, we wanted to move aged care out of the backstreets and into the vibrant hub of the community,” Ms Fraser said.

“We wanted to provide a place where people could live and receive extra support if needed, as they grow older.

“We wanted to ensure people could maintain important links to community, including shops and health care, without the need to drive.

“UnitingSA West Lakes, at this iconic South Australian location, allows us to do all of this.”

Ms Fraser said UnitingSA had been working towards the development for several years and was excited it had finally come to fruition in the organisation’s Centenary year.

“We are proud to be in a position to build UnitingSA West Lakes for our community,” she said.

“To be able to create such an innovative aged care development 100 years after we first started providing services is pretty incredible.

“We look forward to joining this community at WEST and providing a place where people are able to stay connected and be supported to live their best life, regardless of age.”

Construction is expected to be complete at the end of 2020, with residents to move in early 2021.

Find out more about UnitingSA. 

Pictured: Premier Steven Marshall joined UnitingSA Chair Gael Fraser and CEO Libby Craft to turn the sod at UnitingSA West Lakes. Picture by: Catherine Leo