Healthy interest in retirement village

A leading health care company has received "unprecedented interest" in Tauranga and hopes to start building its latest $100 million rest home and retirement village in April.
More than 100 people have put their names on the waiting list for the new Ryman Healthcare village in Carmichael Rd - making up half the independent villas and apartments that will be built.
"We've never had such a strong waiting list before. We are quietly stunned at the interest," Ryman managing director Simon Challies said, from Christchurch.
Mr Challies said the company - listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange - targeted the west side of the city at Bethlehem because it was under-serviced by retirement villages.
He said there was also demand for hospital and dementia care. "The present facilities in the city are almost full to the brim, which is no surprise. There is a growing elderly population in Tauranga and it has to have capacity to match the growth."
Ryman, making its first entry into Tauranga, will be building 197 independent units, 75 serviced apartments with 24-hour support, and will add 120 rest home beds including the hospital and dementia care.
Work on detailed design has begun. Ryman is waiting the outcome of its resource consent application, which has been notified.
Mr Challies said he planned to have the first 12 independent units completed by the end of next year, and the village centre, serviced apartments and rest home would follow within four months. At the peak of the building, there would be up to 200 builders and sub-contractors on the 7.1ha site.
The Tauranga facility will finish up housing more than 450 people and employ 150 staff.
The village centre, costing $20 million, will have an indoor heated swimming pool and spa, movie theatre, all-weather bowling green, hair and beauty salon, lounge, bar, library, gym and a grand internal atrium.
Ryman has built 22 rest home and retirement villages around the country. The Gisborne village is under way and Tauranga will be the 24th. The Christchurch-based company houses 5000 people and employs more than 250 staff at present.