The rise of timber framed lifestyle dwellings is helping to free up housing stock across Australia, such as in the Fraser Coast. 

James Hyne and Patrick Cumner with Hyne Timber Framed Lifestyle Dwelling under construction.

According to the 2021 ABS Census, 250,000 Australians reside in retirement communities which is a 23% increase from the 2016 data. This number is expected to exponentially grow with our aging population and 458 operators of retirement communities across the country. 

According to the Retirement Living Council ‘Better Housing for Better Health’ report, the current pipeline of retirement communities will reduce the housing shortage by 18%. 

Further growth of this pipeline to meet the ongoing demand, could further reduce Australia’s housing shortage by 67% by 2030. 

Brighton Homes Business Development Manager Patrick Cumner says their own pipeline for retirement villages will deliver almost 12,000 dwellings across Queensland in the next few years. 

“Lifestyle villages have been hugely popular across America for many years and this model is taking off here in Australia,” he says.

“These centrally located villages can have hundreds of low maintenance dwellings along with the popular, shared facilities, services and social programs which make these communities so desirable for healthy and active retirees. 

“In the most part, homeowners do not own the village land on which their home sits, and therefore, by law, the home must be relocatable. This type of construction lends itself to timber while also delivering the many user friendly and environmental benefits our locally grown timber provides. 

“Evidence demonstrates that his shift to lifestyle villages can only have a very positive impact on our retirees, the broader community and the Australian economy including housing availability for our next generations.”

James Hyne, Stakeholder Engagement Manager for the Hyne Group says this is a great step in the right direction for housing availability,

“With the housing and land availability challenges here in Australia, this type of lifestyle model is contributing positively to our communities in many ways,” he says.

“From a pine seedling to a new home, thousands of local jobs make up these dwellings, further supporting our regional economy.” 

With an estimated 3,500m3 of timber to be used for the three Hervey Bay lifestyle villages, this volume of timber will sequester approximately 2,500 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere which is the equivalent to 1,270 cars off the road for a year. 

This volume of structural graded, softwood plantation pine will have regrown across the Australian softwood plantation estate in just 10 hours. 

Image: https://www.brightonhomes.net.au/home-designs/double-storey/lotus