By ANNE GIBSON
Retirement village operator Ryman Healthcare has been cleared by the Environment Court to build a $100 million project in Auckland, in line with its promise to double in size every five years.
But in the ruling in the case involving Auckland City Council and Ryman, the developer must
abide by a series of conditions imposed by the court.
Subject to those conditions, Ryman can develop a retirement village for nearly 600 people on a 9.2ha site on Abbotts Way, by the Remuera Golf Course.
Ryman has become one of the busiest developers, having built six villages since listing in 1999. In February, it announced it had bought the 1.5ha site of the former Princess Alexandra Hospital in Napier, which it is turning into a $20 million retirement village to open next year.
It now has 13 villages and five hospitals, in Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Lower Hutt, Hamilton and Auckland.
It opened the Grace Joel retirement village in St Heliers last year.
The new Remuera village will have 245 apartments and villas, 60 serviced apartments, 132 beds in its hospital and rest-home and a 31-bed intensive-care unit, nine-hole golf course, bowling green, tennis courts, petanque court and an indoor pool.
Ryman managing director Kevin Hickman said the project would create 100 construction jobs and building would start at the end of the year.
