New Apartments in Selwyn Heights Commence

Media Release
21 December 2007

New Apartments in Selwyn Heights Commence

Work has begun on a three storey, 26 apartment, high quality retirement building at Selwyn Heights in Hillsborough.

"This is the start of transformation of a wonderful village," says Rev. Duncan Macdonald, Chief Executive of The Selwyn Foundation, New Zealand's largest charitable provider of aged care and retirement villages. "Over the next decade or so, we expect to construct a number of low to medium rise apartment buildings and superb residential amenities on the five hectare site. This will transform Selwyn Heights into a modern, attractive, landscaped retirement village. The neighbours in Hillsborough will see far better quality buildings, improved landscaping and a far more attractive outlook. We'll be turning a tired site into a 21st century showcase, which is appropriate for an area so close to Auckland central adjacent to what will be a leading city park in Auckland - Monte Cecilia. Village residents will have quality facilities on a superb site that overlooks Manukau's dramatic harbour."

Rev. Macdonald says that this first building, designed by well known retirement village architects Auckland group Klein, will be one and two bedroom 80 square metre (approx) apartments, with underground carparking. Klein has designed retirement apartments on other sites including Pinesong (Titirangi) and St Vincents Avenue (Remuera).

Selwyn Heights' new building will be completed by the end of 2008, and be marketed from April 2008. A show home will be built on site by the end of the first quarter 2008, so that prospective clients can see in detail the quality of the fitout, as well as the proposed layout of a typical apartment.*

As well as apartments, amenities planned for the site immediately following the building of the apartments include a 'main street' of indoor shopping (for example: hairdresser, general store, cafe,), medical services, bowling green, internet room, hobbies and games area.

This first building will feature around eight apartments per floor, with four designs available, allowing a choice of layout and views from the building. A ground floor link is planned from the apartments so that residents can walk easily to the amenities building expected to be built immediately behind it. Each apartment will have air conditioning, open plan living-kitchen-dining, tiled bathroom with a floor level shower; balcony, and emergency call system. Kitchen and bathroom facilities will be designed to minimise bending, including dishdrawers placed at bench height and the kitchen benches will feature a luxurious looking stone-style veneer. Hardware such as handles will be specified so that they are easily grasped, and the intention is to have no sharp edges in either kitchen or bathroom.

The exterior of the building is designed to be very robust, and is constructed of pre-cast concrete with mineral silica paint for low maintenance. It will also feature brick to break up the exterior visually allowing the building to relate to villas already on site. Initial landscaping around the building will include sasanqua camellia, flowering cherry, star jasmine and African iris. Mature trees which are adjacent to the building area will be preserved.

Apartments of this type have sold for upwards of $400,000.

About Selwyn Foundation

Selwyn Foundation is the largest charitable provider of care to the elderly in New Zealand. It is experienced in rental, occupational rights, resthome, hospital and dementia care services across six quality retirement villages in the upper North Island. (see www.selwyncare.org.nz). At Selwyn Village, in Auckland's Pt Chevalier, it has recently built the Bishop Selwyn apartments, a three storey complex of 49 apartments.*

Selwyn Foundation is unusual amongst retirement village operators in that it is an independent charitable trust, with Christian principles. As such it has no requirement to return profits to shareholders. Instead, any surpluses are returned back into the care of the elderly.

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