Plans unveiled for a $100m country club, golf course and housing estate for Warrnambool

Managing director Stewart Gull said he was extremely excited about the development, which included a retirement village to be known as Warrnambool Shores Country Club aimed at residents aged 55 and over.

The development plan allows for 185 fully detached homes in the retirement village as well as 52 housing lots ranging in size from 698 square metres to 957 square metres.

"Warrnambool Shores Country Club will offer a range of on-site private facilities never seen nor made available to retirees in Warrnambool and the region before," Mr Gull said.

The project is set to be sold in stages and would be completed over a seven to 10-year period. The retirement village, if approved, would be developed by Country Club Living, a subsidiary of the Gull Group and the 11th in its portfolio across Queensland and Victoria.

Big plans: Work on a retirement village, golf course and housing estate could start by the end of the year.

The development proposal is currently being considered by Warrnambool City Council and Country Club Living said it was confident that all necessary permit approvals would be ratified by mid-2022, with works on-site to begin in the second half of this year.

The proposal also allows for a new bridge across Bromfield Street to the new estate, crossing the Merri River near the weir which is set to soon be demolished.

The city council has yet to commit to funding a new bridge over the river, but has made allowances for it in a number of planning documents.

The resort-style retirement community will feature a choice of two and three bedroom open-plan villas, some with a double garage or oversized single garage and a portico suitable for parking a golf cart. The project will include a nine-hole golf course for use by residents, their guests and the wider community.

A state-of-the art community centre will form the social and support hub for the residents.

There will also be an indoor heated swimming pool, spa, gym, all-weather bowling green, pickle ball court, theatre, library, billiard room, craft room, bar, alfresco barbecue area and caravan storage.

There would also be public open space along the river with wetlands and a walking track that would link up with the Ponting Drive Reserve and playground.

Emergency 24/7 callout systems will be installed in each residence to provide care and peace of mind for residents, and on-site managers will be appointed.

"Country Club Living already has 1900 residents enjoying similar facilities at our villages in other locations," Mr Gull said.

Those villages are located in places like Noosa, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

The proposal is on land next to the Merri River School that was purchased two years ago for between $1.5 million and $1.65 million.

The retirement village would cover 18.5 hectares, and the housing estate another 24.8 hectares.

If the village doesn't get the go-ahead by the council, the golf course plan would be dumped in favour of retaining the area as public open space, and the rest turned into a residential development, the plans submitted to the city say.

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