Uniting’s long-awaited Nareen Gardens overhaul begins
Uniting has commenced construction on the $148 million redevelopment of Nareen Gardens at Bateau Bay, marking a major milestone for integrated aged care and retirement living on the Central Coast after years of planning and community consultation.
After more than half a decade of planning, consultation, revision and community push-back, Uniting NSW.ACT has commenced construction on the $148 million redevelopment of its Nareen Gardens retirement village and aged care home in Bateau Bay, NSW. This marks a significant shift in how seniors’ communities are planned and delivered on the Central Coast – with implications for not just residents, but families, staff, and the broader aged care sector.
A project years in the making
The redevelopment was originally pitched in 2021 as a substantial expansion of the existing village, with plans for more than 230 independent living units and 160 residential aged care places. After sustained community resistance about scale, traffic, overshadowing and neighbourhood impact, Uniting scaled back the proposal by roughly 20 per cent before being approved by the Hunter Regional Planning Panel in late 2022.
Today, stage one is underway, focused on delivering 76 new independent living units – a build that could take up to two years to complete. Stage two, slated to follow, will deliver another 106 independent living units alongside a purpose-built 160-bed aged care home.
Residents have been relocated for the initial phase of works, and Uniting is holding community drop-in sessions to share construction plans and manage disruptions.
What’s different this time?
This is more than a rebuild; it’s an attempt to future-proof ageing in place for a growing seniors population. Rather than keeping the status quo, Uniting’s vision supports a continuum of care – from independent living through to full residential aged care – within the same community. This isn’t merely about housing; it’s about creating an ecosystem where people can stay close to familiar faces and services as their care needs change.
The refreshed village plan includes landscaped outdoor spaces, communal areas, and facilities that go beyond basic accommodation. These design elements are not just “nice to have” – they’re critical for social connection, mental wellbeing and quality of life, especially for older people at risk of isolation.
Hard lessons from community engagement
The Nareen Gardens story is instructive for aged care developers. Early proposals met strong resistance, with neighbours arguing the scale was out of step with a low-density coastal environment. That opposition forced Uniting to alter and scale back its design – a reminder that community sentiment matters and that “big is better” is not always a winning proposition in every locale.
The planning panel’s 2022 approval conditions included ongoing community liaison and engagement, reflecting a hard-won compromise between developer ambition and local concerns.
What this means for aged care in Australia
Uniting’s Nareen Gardens redevelopment is part of a broader wave of major capital projects across the not-for-profit aged care sector, reflecting the urgent need for modern, flexible and dignified places for older Australians to live and receive care. It sits alongside other multimillion-dollar developments in NSW and beyond, signalling that large-scale investment in seniors housing and care infrastructure is no longer optional – it’s essential.
But the drawn-out process also highlights enduring challenges in aged care development: reconciling community expectations, navigating planning systems, and delivering projects that truly serve future generations. The sector cannot presume acceptance; it must earn it through transparent planning and responsive design.
For residents of Bateau Bay and the Central Coast’s ageing population, the Nareen Gardens project offers real promise: contemporary living options, enhanced care continuity, and thoughtfully designed spaces that recognise the full spectrum of ageing needs.
For the rest of the aged care sector, it’s a case study in persistence, pivoting when necessary and delivering on a long-term vision that aligns with how older Australians want, and deserve, to live.
