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Australia’s oldest retirement living community has entered a new chapter, with construction officially underway on a major expansion at Anglicare’s Castle Hill Villages.
The first sod was turned this week on the next stage of development at the historic site, which has been providing retirement living and aged care since the late 1950s.
The initial phase of the project will deliver more than 50 new independent living residences across a series of low-rise buildings within the existing Anglicare site. The village has been in continuous operation since the early 1960s. This marks the first stage of a two-stage development that will eventually allow up to 100 new residents to join the community.
The new residences will feature premium finishes, functional layouts, basement car parking, landscaped outdoor areas and new community spaces, alongside integrated on-site services. Anglicare Group Executive, Seniors Communities Laurie Boxwell said the expansion would enhance the 120-acre site, which already includes health and wellness facilities and cafés.
“This development sits within a broader 15 to 20-year masterplan for the site,” Boxwell said.
Boxwell said Anglicare looked forward to welcoming new residents to the expanded village from 2027. The project is being delivered in partnership with Decode, with Associate Director Ali Mobarak saying the development would generate more than 500 construction jobs over its lifecycle.
“Construction works have been carefully planned to prioritise safety and minimise disruption to existing residents,” Mobarak said.
Decode was recognised as NSW’s number one residential builder in 2025, with Mobarak saying the company was proud to bring its experience to the aged care sector.
Facilities already available at Castle Hill Villages include an on-site health centre with registered nurses and allied health professionals, a 24/7 care team, a technology support service, a physiotherapy pool, cafés, a village bus service, extensive activities and an on-site chapel with pastoral care.
The villages operate under Anglicare’s recently introduced For Life service philosophy, which offers an alternative to traditional retirement village models. Features include a Signature Membership that returns residents’ ingoing contributions in full at exit, fixed recurrent charges, and no stamp duty, departure or renovation fees.
Anglican Retirement Villages, now part of Anglicare, opened its first village on the Castle Hill site in 1959. The original property centred on the historic Lober House, built in 1926, with additional villages added throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Major restoration works to Lober House were completed in 2015.
