Metlifecare wants to demolish Remuera block for new hospital: some residents object

Retirement giant Metlifecare wants to demolish an apartment block in a Remuera village and replace it with a new hospital but some residents who would need to move elsewhere on the site are objecting.

Some people living at the lush, sub-tropically-planted 7 Saint Vincent complex are worried about years of construction noise and nuisance, when they moved there for peace and quiet - and although they could stay at the same village, the disruption is a concern to them.

The company - one of New Zealand’s largest in the retirement business - has applied to the Auckland Council for resource consent to demolish the multi-level Raukura block and replace it with a big new hospital.

But some residents, in their 80s and 90s, have raised alarm about the impact on their lives of living within a village where a huge new block is being built.

Some don’t want to leave the 17-unit, five-level block, although many others have already gone, meaning it is largely empty and therefore not the bustling, lively community they once enjoyed.

Plans for Metlifecare's new building, replacing Raukura, 7 Saint Vincent, Remuera.

Metlifecare, which has 36 villages, told the Herald this month it understands some residents “simply don’t like the proposition of having to live through any site development, at all, ever”.

But it said it can legally do what it’s planning.

“As the village operator, we do have rights to redevelop the site within the terms of the occupational right agreement signed by each resident, but of course we are very respectful of managing the wellbeing of our residents as best we can during the redevelopment process,” a Metlifecare spokeswoman said.

Minutes of a March 8 meeting between residents and management show Metlifecare is looking at how to compensate those whose lives will be disrupted when they shift within the village.

Phillip Long, Metlifecare operations manager “presented what compensation could look like and confirmed compensation is something MLC does in most instances of redevelopment, normally in the form of a reduction of the monthly village fees”, the meeting’s minutes said.

But retrofitting double-glazing into windows on other units on the site where Raukura residents could go is another option.

Interior plans for the new hospital at 7 Saint Vincent in Remuera.

“A number of residents strongly expressed their opposition to the proposed redevelopment. Residents queried if the board was aware of the sentiment in the village and noted they had not seen nor heard from any board members,” the minutes said.

Graham Astley, a Raukura resident, told the Herald he had only been in his apartment for eight months when he learnt of the demolition proposal. From documents he signed when buying, he knew the roof needed replacing and he’d have to move temporarily.

“I was not pleased to know this but I liked the apartment so much [I] decided to buy anyway and signed up. I’m now in my 80s and have no idea where my life will go from here,” Astley said.

The Metlifecare spokeswoman said the company was proposing to invest in upgrading and enhancing many villages. The Remuera site was just one.

Metlifecare chief executive Earl Gasparich.

It had genuine reasons for proposing to redevelop one of the Remuera buildings because the site had no certified aged residential care, so people needing help had to move “at their most vulnerable”.

But Raukura also suffered contamination and structural issues, meaning that it needed to be significantly remediated.

So it planned to build the new hospital.

The March 8 meeting was to give Remuera residents an update on the redevelopment and show them images of the new building as well as get feedback.

On the whole, residents were supportive of the plan to get hospitals and more care into villages, the spokeswoman said.

The residents liked the quality of the proposed Remuera designs including easy and safe access ways, enhanced common areas and maintaining green spaces and plantings, she said.

“We understand that some residents simply don’t like the proposition of having to live through any site development, at all, ever. We remain respectful of these views, transparent and we are proactively and empathetically engaging with all of our residents to bring reassurance.

“As the village operator, we do have rights to redevelop the site within the terms of the Occupational Right Agreement signed by each resident, but of course we are very respectful of managing the wellbeing of our residents as best we can during the redevelopment process.”

All-resident consultation meetings, smaller group meetings and one-on-ones had been held.

“We acknowledge that with any proposed redevelopment there will be disruption, but we will ensure it would be very professionally managed. This is not our first village that we have redeveloped and in fact, have a far more extensive redevelopment of an existing village underway right now at Somervale Village in Mt Maunganui. We have had excellent consultation and ongoing engagement with residents at Somervale who are very supportive of the investment that we are making in the upgrade of their village,” the spokeswoman said.

Remuera’s block demolition and rebuild are just part of wider plans to add higher-level services to a number of sites.

All up, Metlifecare plans big changes at 10 existing North Island villages with one village alone planned to get a $100 million injection, the Herald reported last year.

Auckland’s The Poynton and Hillsborough Heights, as well as Tauranga’s Bayswater, are in for changes.

At each of the 10 villages being changed, four care levels might be considered: rest home, hospital, secure dementia and respite/palliative care.

Not all villages will get all four levels of care, the company said.