I had the pleasure of being invited and shown round the new independent living retirement village which is being converted in what was formally Colonial Cottages Motel.
Wayne and Kathryn Besley purchased the property in 2021 as they could see it would make a perfect retirement village. Wayne showed me round the Victorian bay villa which sits on the road side of the plot. The villa was built around 1895 for Captain Albert Argall, he was the first of a succession of mine managers to live here. In 1937 the Coromandel Hospital Board bought the house to use as the medical superintendent’s residence. It became a motel in the late 1970’s. Now Wayne and his team of builders have transformed it again.
The villa is newly painted, new carpet, new kitchen and dining area and an extension for toilets – all done to match this heritage building. Wayne talked about the building with real passion, “I love these properties,” he told me, reveling in the beauty of the place. He is a commercial builder by trade, but loves taking on “pet projects” – this is one of them. To conform to regulations for community spaces, Wayne removed the two brick chimneys and rebuilt them using fibreglass and slices of the original bricks. The fireplaces now look exactly the same, but are structurally safe, plus provide additional storage space within the building. I can see that every care has gone into this project, no expense has been spared on getting this building perfect and fit for another 50 years or so.
This villa is going to be the communal area for residents to interact together and spread out if they have family over. There is a modern kitchen, cosy games room, library, lounge, bathroom and large room complete with chandeliers that Wayne called the ballroom – it has a huge TV in it which residents can watch sport on, plus the room can be used for residents meetings. Around the villa he is building lots of decks and a BBQ area.
Then I was shown a completed cottage. It is one of the former motel cottages and had all been completely renovated, insulated, painted, and new appliances. It is plenty spacious enough to live in with open plan kitchen/lounge, two bedrooms, a shower room and a carport out the back. Six of these cottages face each other across a tidy lawn. There are also two one-bedroom cottages which are being renovated, plus he is building five more two-bedroom cottages on the site.
But that wasn’t all! Wayne then showed me the residents hobby room and workshop area, and at the back of the section there will be room to park motorhomes, caravans and boats, and grow some vegges.
As a retirement village, owners will need to be at least 67 years old. The village will have an on-site manager during normal weekly working hours. There is a monthly service fee payable by owners and other terms and conditions which Wayne will happily explain to interested parties.
The first renovated two-bedroom cottages will be going on the market shortly. More will follow, and the whole site is expected to be completed in 2024. Please register your interest now.
There will be open days on Saturday 8 and Saturday 22 April. The community is welcome to come and have a look round.