Dee Why RSL submits $120m seniors-housing expansion plan

Dee Why RSL has lodged a $120 million proposal with the NSW government to expand its Oceangrove seniors living village in Dee Why with two new towers and 103 additional units.

The plan would increase the size of the existing 76-unit complex on Pittwater Road, on the northern edge of the Dee Why CBD. It would also require changes to local building height limits before it can proceed.

Planning material cited in the report says the site is close to essential services, shopping and public transport. It also says the existing Oceangrove development is operating at full capacity.

A Dee Why RSL spokesperson said there is a waiting list of 240 parties for Oceangrove, which the club is using to argue that more seniors housing is needed on the site.

What is proposed

The lodged concept would add two towers of about nine to 10 storeys within the existing precinct. Along with the new independent living units, the proposal would replace an existing childcare centre with a new three-storey building and include a gym.

The expansion would take the village from 76 units to 179 units if approved in its current form. The project is being framed as an attempt to provide more age-appropriate housing in a part of Dee Why already linked to transport and daily services.

Why the site is controversial

The new filing follows a 2024 planning proposal to rezone the land for greater heights, which drew about 90 submissions. That earlier process showed the project had already become a local flashpoint before this latest lodgement.

Supporters argued the site should accommodate more seniors housing. Opponents raised concerns about overdevelopment, traffic and loss of views.

Those objections are likely to remain central as the state assessment proceeds, because the proposal still depends on height-limit changes and formal planning approval.

What happens next

State planning officials will now assess the lodged proposal. Any public exhibition or further submission stage would likely reopen local debate over scale, traffic, views and neighbourhood character.

The club's case rests on demand, the full occupancy of the existing village and the site's proximity to shops and public transport. The open question is whether the state will accept the height changes needed for the towers, or whether the design will need to be revised.

The proposal is one of the more significant seniors-housing expansion plans now before the state in the northern beaches area, but it remains at the assessment stage and no final decision has been made.