CHIEF MINISTER Katy Gallagher today turned the first sod to mark the beginning of construction work on a new retirement village in Crace.

“We know Canberra has an ageing population and this new development will help to meet increasing demand in the ACT for aged care services,” Ms Gallagher said today.

Goodwin is Canberra’s oldest provider of accommodation for older people, with almost 60 years of industry experience.

The company’s chief executive, Chris Lamont, says The Central will “set a new standard of living for northside seniors”.

“The Central is designed to capture the benefits of urban living while providing top quality apartments and townhouses for modern-day Canberra seniors,” Mr Lamont said.

“The new development will incorporate progressive design, providing tailored support and assistance within a secure high quality village that will deliver both peace of mind and importantly, ageing-in-place outcomes.”

“Ageing-in-place” is a popular term to describe independent living accommodation where seniors can continue to live as they grow older and more frail, and their need for aged care services increases.

The Central will incorporate a “lifestyle club”, gym, library and environmentally sustainable building designs, according to PBS, the building company which is constructing the retirement village.

PBS director Warren Aherns said in a press release that “the design and inclusions specified for the apartments are of a higher specification than you would normally expect to find in developments of this type”.

“Goodwin has certainly raised the bar in regard to aged living in Canberra with this development,” he said.