New units

GARFIELD is fast joining the Gold Coast as a place to retire to.
Cardinia Shire Council has approved plans for a 72unit residential village in the small rural community.
The latest move comes on the heels of the recently established ‘independent living’ development for people over the age of 55.
The residential village, also in Jefferson Road, is targeted towards elderly residents looking to live close to aged care facilities.
Garfield’s emergence on the retirement scene has not been without controversy.
The council received five objections over the latest proposal but councillors said the new facilities would meet a growing need in the community.
Bunyip Ward councillor Bill Pearson said there was no other retirement centre in the GarfieldBunyip area.
The development would also help provide the impetus for Jefferson Road to be sealed, he said.
“The proposal is good for Garfield; this will be greatly welcomed,” Cr Pearson said.
An onsite medical centre providing for up to five doctors and other practitioners, gymnasium and swimming pool and accommodation for nursing staff are features of the development.
Residents objecting to the proposal were concerned it would result in the loss of the area’s rural character and intensify development in Jefferson Road. There were also concerns that the retirement village was remote from support services, commercial and community facilities and public transport.
The council was told that Department of Sustainability and Environment concerns about plans to remove native vegetation prompted the original design to be amended.
The development was reduced from 87 units to prevent several mature trees on the fourhectare site being cut down.
Town planners said the proposal would provide excellent facilities for elderly residents in Garfield and the wider rural community who wished to remain in the area rather than move into centres at Pakenham or other towns.
Councillor Graeme Legge acknowledged residents’ concerns but believed that permit conditions on the development would counter any potential problems.
Retirement facilities are also expanding in Pakenham and Berwick.