Media response - Hopkins Court land revocation proposal

Published on 27 July 2026

Enquiry – The Advertiser

The journalist asked about why the council "reversed" its decision to retain land at Hopkins Court in Woodcroft, how much the council is seeking from the land sale, what concerns the retirement village proposal addresses, whether the council would proceed with the sale of land if not sold to the retirement village, when the council expects to "finalise the sale", and the numbers of Living Choice residents that support and don't support the proposal.

Response

We’ve started a process to revoke the community land classification for council-owned land at Woodcroft’s Hopkins Court, which, if approved, would allow it to be sold to the adjoining landowner, Woodcroft Living Choice Retirement Village.

The land is considered surplus to council requirements. Council previously resolved not to continue with the revocation process after community engagement last year raised concerns.

Nearby residents had shared concerns about possible increases in traffic and the impact of future housing development on the local area. After listening to this feedback, Council decided not to continue with the process at that time.

Living Choice Retirement Villages has since proposed to purchase the land and develop it as a recreational space to benefit the village residents. Their draft concept plan includes pickleball courts, a workshop space, landscaping and a pedestrian link to the retirement village.

The draft concept appears to address some of the concerns raised by the Hopkins Court residents during the 2025 engagement, including not significantly increasing traffic, and no high-density development, while finding a beneficial use for the land that would otherwise remain under-utilised.

There are a number of formal approval steps in the land revocation process, and we’re now requesting revocation approval from the local government minister following community engagement. Another report will come to Council once the minister’s decision is received, and – if approved – Council can then decide to officially revoke the community land classification, allowing the council to sell the land directly to Living Choice Retirement Village for recreational purposes.

Even if the minister approves the proposal, Council can still choose not to proceed with the sale.

All costs associated with completing the revocation and sale would be borne by the applicant, and the purchase price of the land would be no less than the market value of the land, determined by an independent registered valuer.

We don’t have a complete breakdown of how many Living Choice residents support the proposal and how many oppose it. Nineteen participants completed our online survey, and of the 12 participants who didn’t support the proposal, 9 identified themselves as Living Choice Retirement Village residents.

We estimate approximately 70­–80 Living Choice residents attended our in-person drop-in session, and while this feedback was provided in an informal group setting (rather than individual submissions), common concerns raised by the participants included the suitability of the proposed facilities, the consultation undertaken by Living Choice and potential financial impacts on resident.

ENDS