Breakthrough in Retirement Living as Arvida Group launches 'Living Well' in Christchurch

Park​ Lane Retirement Village in Christchurch is revolutionising retirement living with the launch of Living Well, a regeneratively driven concept designed to empower retirees and reinvigorate community connections.

Arvida Group CEO Bill McDonald says Living Well breaks the mould of traditional retirement living by introducing a public community precinct, complete with a café, crèche, health club and retail businesses.

“At Arvida we believe living a full and satisfying life post-retirement is key to living healthier, happier and longer. The philosophy behind Living Well is that life shouldn’t stop when you retire – it should get even better,” he says.

“Living Well Park Lane will include a community centre for both the public and residents, complete with a café that sources produce from the village’s communal gardens, a community crèche, a health club and animals including chickens and lambs. Traditionally retirement villages are a gated community – here the community is warmly welcomed to be part of life at Park Lane.”

McDonald believes in creating a space where retirees can share the things they love with the community – Living Well encourages the public to connect with the retired community.

“We want to bridge the gap between generations and redefine retirement. Whether our residents enjoy baking, gardening, building or caring for animals, they have something to give back to the community through the concept of Living Well,” he says.

“Our aim is for every grandchild to be excited about visiting Park Lane and every resident to feel fulfilled by an enriching life at Park Lane Retirement Village. This is the future of retirement living.”

McDonald says his vision is for Living Well to be rolled out across Arvida retirement villages throughout New Zealand.

“With the Christchurch rebuild there are so many innovative developments happening across the city, so it felt like the perfect place to launch Living Well. In saying this, I would love to see Park Lane be the blueprint of how we approach all future Arvida retirement village developments.

“With Park Lane we have been conscious of energy efficiency in the village, using solar energy to power the main building complex and even offering electric cars for resident use. environmental and social regeneration is important in every area of New Zealand, so while it may take some time, we hope to do our part for the environment through all 26 of our retirement villages in years to come.”

Apartments at the new Park Lane Retirement Village go on sale on Thursday, 20 July. For more information, please visit www.livingwellparklane.co.nz.