Avina Van Village sold for $33 million to Ingenia

The caravan park and surrounding parcels of land was purchased by a company called Ingenia.

The company’s chief executive Simon Owen said Ingenia’s “core business is affordable senior housing”.

The caravan park has a number of permanent residents living on site, but Mr Owen said the residents should not be alarmed by the purchase.

He said the resident’s tenure was protected by legislation, and even if it wasn’t, the company had no plans to force them from their homes.

“Hopefully in a year or two they will say Ingenia coming in was good for them,” he said.

”We're planning to put a bit more money into the village and the tourism side of the park.

“The residents tenure is protected under legislation but our core business is affordable senior housing and we absolutely want them to stay.”

As for the rest of the park, Mr Own said retirement homes would be built on the surrounding land.

“Our plan is over the next five or six years to add around 240 homes,” he said.

“They will be purpose built, high quality seniors housing in a very green orientated community landscape, preserving the existing Cumberland wood plans and eucalyptus trees in the park.

“For the local community it means more jobs. We would like to think we are not only going to provide seniors housing but also upgrade and refurbish the short term tourism in the park.”

The development application for the development has already been submitted to Hawkesbury Council, and it will be assessed by the Joint Regional Planning Panel.

Mr Owen said Ingenia planned to invest $20.5 million in the caravan park to upgrade it, along with developing the homes.

Mr Owen said the houses, when built, would sell for much lower than the median house price in The Hills area, which is about $1.2 million.

“All the seniors who will move into our park have to sell their own homes and that provides more stock for people in the Hawkesbury region,” he said.